After the Bush visit

[CHIMO]

After the Bush visit

CBC News Viewpoint | March 6, 2006 | More from Aisha Ahmad

The latest attack against Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan – an axe assault that seems to have been plotted by an entire village of Pashtun tribespeople in Kandahar province – marked a crucial turn of events in the Afghan conflict. The media reported the event as simply another tragedy in the military campaign, but the nature of the assault actually indicates a radical shift in the insurgency and signifies a changing mood toward the foreign presence.

The Pashtun honour code of hospitality traditionally extends to an enemy, even during wartime. During the genocidal Afghan civil war of the 1990s, even a sworn enemy, if welcomed as a guest, would not be harmed. The false guise of hospitality in warfare was a tactic of desperation used predominantly against the Soviets, who were seen as foreign invaders bereft of honour. For Canadian troops to be the recipients of this same form of hostility is categorically alarming.

As Canadian and other NATO troops take over the international military role in Afghanistan and Pakistani forces engage in open warfare against an increasing resistance movement, U.S. troops have quietly withdrawn to relieve pressure on their overstretched forces.

In the aftermath of Bush's landmark visit, the security situation in the region is rapidly deteriorating. Pakistan's relationships with India and Afghanistan remain strained. Meanwhile, escalating anti-Americanism has intensified conflict in the tribal regions and in southern Afghanistan, threatening both regional and international stability.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_ahmad/20060306.html