Securing the Afghan border (merged thread)

[George L. Singleton]

Having been there long ago, traveling from Peshawar to Kabul, and elsewhere along and across the Durland Line, anyone who thinks Pakistan and Afghanistan can ever totally manage that long rugged terrain border is defying the reality of life over there.

No nation, including the US, can manage or seal it's entire borders, ever, just simply impossible to do.

Cold reality of the situation, which will continue to ebb and flow forever.

[davidbfpo]

It's all in the link:Border Interdiction in Counterinsurgency: A Look at Algeria, Rhodesia and Iraq

This is a 2006 USCGSC thesis and why in this thread? One cited example is the Morice Line; the threads on Rhodesia do not cover borders and Iraq is too big to find a home.

Just appeared on a BSAP History emailing and not read.

[Sylvan]

The Afghan Border Patrol is already established in most of the key crossing areas.
Remove the ETTs from the ANA and put them with the Border Patrol partnered with an equivlent US force.
You will never have a "line" like israel is attempting. But an active, mentored and supplied force conducting traditional raids/patrols/ambushes in cooridination with Pakistan would have enormous effects.
We aren't getting our money's worth out of the ANA.
Its become a self-licking ice cream cone. We are creating the ANA to create the ANA. The idea of using it as a fighting force appears anathema to most US mentors and commanders.