Terrorist attack in Brussels has shown a strong vulnerability of Europe and the weakness of its law enforcement agencies.Suicide blast in Pakistan’s Lahore less resonant, but more symbolic event in the ongoing global war against extremists.
According to official data from Islamabad, an explosion sounded in the Parking lot, near the Playground in the second largest city of Pakistan, killed more than 60 people. A few hundred are injured of varying severity. Responsibility for what happened took on the Taliban, to be exact – recently released in a separate direction movement “Jamaat-ul-Ahrar”.
Pakistan: terrorism handmade
According to some, the purpose of attacks were to become a Christian family, celebrating Easter. But according to recent reports, the majority of the dead were Muslims.
“Taliban” is a project created in the mid-90s in response to the threat of the encroachment of India in Afghanistan and supported by Islamabad. The leadership of the movement is subject to control by the Pakistani inter-services intelligence. The basis of the Taliban has made Pakistani military intelligence officers and special forces to lead the scattered troops of the Afghans.
It is noteworthy that after the events of 11 September 2001 and the ensuing American invasion of Afghanistan it became known that Washington just before the air strikes demanded that Islamabad stop supporting the Taliban and withdraw from their ranks senior intelligence. Later, the U.S. officials said that President Pervez Musharraf has accepted the ultimatum and during the day Pakistani forces left Afghanistan.
Actually the requirements were mutual. The subsequent negotiations between Washington and Islamabad has led to the agreement in which Pakistan stopped supporting not only the Taliban, but only of the detachments, who took the side of al Qaeda. In turn, the U.S. pledge to leave Afghanistan as soon as the followers of bin Laden will be eliminated. No long-term presence of American troops, not to mention NATO forces in peacekeeping, it was not conducted.
Washington felt that once bin Laden is alive, to leave Afghanistan it is impossible. In response, Pakistan has returned to its military advisers, and continued support of the Taliban. In the late 2000s, the paradoxical situation is reached when talks with the Taliban were not the leaders of the movement, and directly with the leadership of the inter-services intelligence.
Moreover, Pakistan is formally considered a US ally in the Pentagon documents, the regulatory “war on terrorism”, refers to hostile countries where American scouts and special forces counteract not only the militants, but the armed forces and law enforcement agencies. A good example was the operation to destroy bin Laden’s “Spear of Neptune”, when the Pentagon had to conduct a difficult RAID, and the Pakistan air force attempted to shoot down, however, already backing up, American helicopters with special forces.
Currently it is believed that the Taliban, faced with the “Islamic state”, was divided into two camps: supporting banned in Russia IG and opposing him. It is claimed that “Jamaat-ul-Ahrar” – military wing of supporters of the IG, has made its goal the elimination of the moderate Taliban.
Iraq: who will send to the North
Since the beginning of this year, immediately after the Obama administration announced that it planned spring and summer offensive of Iraqi forces on the position of the IG with the goal to liberate Mosul and Raqqa, foreign media constantly reported on the establishment in the region of some American secret military bases. It is believed that the Pentagon is thus not only struggling with the IG, but also constrains the Russian operation in Syria.
But recently the newspaper “Washington post” lifted the veil of secrecy, showing located near the Iraqi city of Mokmer so-called fire base, where the artillery corps of the marine corps (ILC) are firing on the positions of is militants in the Mosul area. Just before the Marines three towed 155-mm howitzers M-777 and several 81-mm and 120-mm mortars. The firing range of the American guns did not allow them to hit targets directly in Mosul, but as representatives of the Pentagon, the fire prevents the militants to carry out the supply and to transfer reinforcements. In addition to the artillery ground of the action of the Iraqi army supported by a company of U.S. Marines, only about 200 people.
Fighters of the ILC, operating in Iraq are so-called operational group “Spartan”, created on the basis of the 26th expeditionary unit marine corps (26 MEU) from the 2nd division (base “Legen”, NC). The structure of the American marine corps is quite complicated, and such groups often mistakenly called the expeditionary battalions that is not entirely correct. Units of the ILC employs a staff of much more army, for example reinforced company – about three hundred soldiers, and a reinforced battalion of over a thousand people.
According to official data of the Pentagon, only in Iraq there are about five thousand U.S. troops, not only are advisors and trainers to the Iraqi army, but also engaged in logistical support. Currently leading the operation against ISIS headquarters 101st air assault division.
While the actions of the coalition forces are more of a deterrent character, in particular the Marines of the group “Spartan” not allow the militants to break into the heart of Iraq from Mosul, as it was a few years ago, however, and do not going on the offensive. At the same time strengthen American advisers training the Iraqi military for the upcoming spring and summer offensive.
The militants after heavy fighting in the area of Palmyra, which led to the liberation of the Syrian government forces of this ancient city, are not seeking to attack deep into Iraq. So while there’s a lull, broken only by the rare bursts of three American howitzers.
