Nobody denies the United States’ right to lead an international alliance against terrorism. Such an alliance would, of course, be more effective if its leaders military goals were clear as well as its ability to assume the consequences of a joint operation.
More to the point, attacking the terrorist bases in Afghanistan and thus crippling terrorism worldwide will require many strikes and operations. Regardless of what kind of weapons are used in the strike, it will be difficult indeed to prevent them from causing damage to innocent civilians and non-military property.
Furthermore, attacking innocent people on the pretext that they might know where the terrorists are hiding represents a dangerous precedent and an equally dangerous step in America’s definition of terrorism. US military retaliation is justified but constant military errors are not; military strikes should be carefully planned and evaluated in order to avoid future mistakes.
More importantly, it is imperative that the Alliance be informed in detail about operations and progress and how much remains until the final goal. The alliance may have an initial understanding of military mobilization and airstrikes but nobody knows what the reality is or the beginning or the end.
The most pressing problem facing the allies, including their closest ally, Pakistan, is their lack of knowledge of military operations and that is why the president of Pakistan always emphasizes that the military operations should end as soon as possible. This is not strange because the president understands the dangers of prolonged military operations and their effects on his country. In addition, public opinion is so divided that the country could become another Afghanistan.
On the other hand, there is the situation in the US where hasty decisions by the administration and federal security led to a number of investigational errors. These errors not only hindered the clear vision needed to pin down the real terrorists but also created havoc and confusion, thus producing a public reaction that caused pain to many innocent people. Despite the US attorney general’s assurance that he was ready to receive and evaluate complaints of people being held and then released for insufficient evidence, arrests by the US police have not stopped.
In fact, US security has arrested nearly 800 suspects and information of value has been obtained from only ten. It would be wise if the arrested individuals were allowed to exercise their legal rights as McVeigh was allowed to do. The mysterious death of one Pakistani in US jails gave rise to many questions about the investigations and how interrogations were handled. The Pakistani Embassy, however, says that it has no information about the circumstances surrounding the man’s death; nor does it know any of his relatives or friends. One can only wonder if the man’s rights were violated.
It is, therefore imperative that US security follows the regulations regarding detentions, arrests and investigations. In addition, since the US is determined to fight terrorism and root it out by any possible means, it would be more effective if this were done in consultation with its allies which would very likely help in avoiding military errors and mistakes.
