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Terror Fight Fault Lines Exposed

Events along the ever-volatile Afghanistan-Pakistan border this month have exposed deep fault lines in the anti-terrorism alliance among the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and officials on all sides say their joint efforts against militants in the region are now highly precarious. The United States - long frustrated because American soldiers are in Afghanistan while most of the terrorists they are hunting are believed to be in Pakistan - has begun using unmanned Predator aircraft armed with Hellfire missiles to reach across the border.

Pakistani officials are apparently notified in advance of such missions, and assist with intelligence. But after a recent U.S. missile strike, thousands of Pakistanis condemned the United States loudly in the streets. Afghanistan, for its part, has applauded the more aggressive U.S. stance, and Afghan officials say they want the United States to go even further to stop Pakistan-based militants, who are hitting hard at a time when international commitments to securing Afghanistan have come into doubt.

Three days after the Pakistan strike, in the Afghan town of Spin Boldak, a man drove a motorbike into a crowd gathered to watch a wrestling match and blew himself up. After the suicide bombing, thousands of Afghans protested in the streets, condemning Pakistan. In addition to this, Afghan government officials are feeling especially vulnerable now because the United States announced late last year that it would reduce its troop strength from 19,000 to 16,500. "It is difficult for me to imagine how it can happen without some kind of support from outside Afghanistan," said Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.