Afghanistan's government is seeking ways to engage tribes in its fight against the Taliban and other militants, in a tactic similar to one that helped reduce violence in Iraq, the new chief of U.S. Central Command said Thursday.
Gen. David Petraeus, America's general in charge of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, also said recent U.S. strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas killed three of 20 top extremist leaders threatening the existence of the nuclear-armed Islamic country.
Petraeus has been credited for turning the tide of violence in Iraq when he led the war effort there. Many expect Afghanistan will see some of the same tactics he employed in Iraq, such as co-opting local tribal leaders to fight insurgents.
The initiative in Iraq to involve Sunni groups in self-defense roles was a ground-up approach.
Both Afghanistan's southern and eastern provinces and Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal areas _ where much of the violence takes place _ have strong tribal affiliations. While the tribal loyalties in both countries shift over time, their support is essential to secure peace in the area where their members live.
There are over 150 major tribes that straddle the porous border between the two countries. They are almost exclusively Pashtun, an ethnic group that forms a majority in Afghanistan. The vast majority of the Taliban militants and other insurgent groups are Pashtun as well.
"This is a country in which support of the tribes, of the local communities, for the overall effort is essential. It is a country that has not have a tradition of central government extending into the far reaches of its provinces and its districts," Petraeus told The Associated Press in an interview.
"So it is essential that, again, the various tribes, various communities indeed oppose the extremism, oppose the insurgents and enable the effort of the Afghan government and the coalition," he said without disclosing any details of the initiatives under discussion.
Pakistan's government has encouraged tribes to set up their own militias to fight against extremists on its side of the border. Insurgents have launched attacks on the pro-government tribesmen, including one Thursday that left at least 17 people dead.
"Certainly there is a long tradition of working with the tribes in the (Pakistan's) Federally Administered Tribal Areas and so it is very natural that they should engage those tribes and endeavor to get their assistance in confronting the extremists who have turned what used to be fairly peaceful areas into strongholds for individuals who not only believe that their views are absolutely right but believe that they have the right to blow up other people who do not see the world the way they do," Petraeus said.
In Afghanistan, U.S. and other foreign troops are known to use militia members to provide security for some of their bases. But their focus so far have been on training the country's fledgling national security forces, the Afghan national army and police.
However, 67,000 Afghan soldiers, over 78,000 police that serve alongside over 60,000 U.S. and other foreign troops in a country of 30 million people, are not enough to provide the necessary security in the face of resurgent Taliban-led insurgency, and the record levels of insurgency-related violence now afflicting Afghanistan.
Gen. David McKiernan, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, said in a recent interview he is ready to reach out to tribes and other local communities in an effort to reduce violence and help extend governance.
"I am absolutely ready to do that given that there is a connection with the Afghan government, that there is accountability and it is positive for the security of the people that live in that community," McKiernan told AP.
"How this conceptually would work is that there is some sort of contract where the community agrees and supports the idea of helping to provide security for its people, helping to keep the insurgents out of their area, helping to form one voice, system to the government for grievances, helping to prioritize social economic programs inside their community," McKiernan said.
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has indicated that he wants to shift the focus away from the Iraq war to Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas, where al-Qaida has reconstituted itself, and the Taliban is resurgent.
The U.S. also wants neighboring Pakistan to do more to crack down on insurgents who use pockets of its northwest region as sanctuaries from which to plan attacks on U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Over the last three months, the U.S. has acted on its own to try to limit the threat coming from Pakistan's tribal areas. It launched at least 17 airstrikes on militant targets on Pakistan's lawless side of the Afghan border. Pakistani leaders have criticized the missile strikes as a violation of their sovereignty, and said they could drive a wedge between the government and those living in the tribal areas.
Petraeus said the U.S. missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas in recent months killed three of the top 20 extremist leaders there, causing a blow to insurgents. Petraeus did not identify the extremist leaders allegedly killed in the U.S. strikes.
"Certainly there does have to be a better explanation of the blows that have been struck in recent weeks and months," Petraeus said. "It is hugely important that three of 20 extremist leaders have been killed in recent months."
On Tuesday, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Reza Gilani warned that the next U.S. president must halt the attacks or risk losing the war against al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The prime minister said the U.S. should share intelligence with his country's military to allow Pakistan to go after militants themselves.
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