The Hunt For Bin Laden
Pentagon planners refer to the relatively small military footprint as an "economy of force." But others note that Afghanistan's southern border with Pakistan remains largely unguarded, providing what some commanders fear may be a swift highway for Islamic radicals from the teeming madrasahs, or religious schools, in Quetta. "We talk about economy of force," one officer grumbled, "when we don't have enough guys to do what we need to do."
For all the progress, and despite the problems in Afghanistan, getting bin Laden may finally come down to what the Pakistanis do or don't do in their tribal areas. "That's the problem we had in Vietnam," says a senior commander. "It's the problem anytime you're trying to [deal with] an insurgency. You can't allow them to have a sanctuary. And Pakistan [has] provided that sanctuary."
A Mountain Dragnet
The hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban remnants is focused in the inhospitable mountains along the Afghan-Pakistani border, with the United States military launching operations from "fire bases." The U.S. has also increased the number of "provincial reconstruction teams," civil-military operations bringing rudimentary services to Afghanistan's remote provinces.
Location of provincial reconstruction teams [map labels]
Kandahar
Kabul
Gardez
Bamian
Kunduz
Jalalabad
Parwan
Qalat
Ghazni
Asadabad
Mazar-e-Sharif
Herat
Khost
[Map labels]
Afghanistan
Kabul Capital
Orgun E Fire base
Shkin Fire base
Bagram Hub base
Kandahar Hub base
Asadabad Fire base
Jalalabad Fire base Recent clash/fighting
Camp Blessing Fire base
Barikowt Fire base
Khost Fire base Recent clash/fighting
Camps Salerno
and Chapman Fire base Recent clash/fighting
LWara Fire base
Qalat Fire base
Tarin Kowt Fire base
Deh Rawod Fire base
Daychopan Fire base
Border posts
Pakistan
Miram Shah
Wana Recent clash/fighting
Peshawar
Border posts
TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
U.S.: 20,000
Coalition: 2,000
NATO-led International Security Assistance Force: 6,500
Sources: Department of Defense, NATO, staff reports
Rod Little--USN&WR
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