The Road Map of Proxy Wars

Col Anil Sharma

Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism.

By John K Cooley (London: Pluto Press 1999), pp 276, price-not indicated, IAB No 7453-13280 oh&k

"When you decide to go to war against your main enemy, take a good, long look at the people behind you whom you chose as your friends, allies or mercenary fighters. Look well to see whether these allies already have unsheathed their knives - and are pointing them at your back." This is the historical lesson for the nations who choose the sub conventional route of proxy war to defeat their adversaries, even if they are super powers.

‘Unholy Wars’ is a controversial and first hand expose of an extraordinary behind the scene alliance between the USA and radical Islam. It reveals how the CIA armed and trained a quarter of a million mercenaries to fight the Afghan war - with devastating consequences for world peace. The book also charts the course of proxy war leading to insurgency in J&K. The genesis of twentieth century proxy wars discussed in the book has important lessons for India, which can be ignored to our own peril.

The author John K Cooley is a correspondent for ABC News and has written widely on the Middle East and North Africa. In 1996 he received the George Polk Memorial Award from Long Island University for a ‘distinguished career achievement in International reporting from the Middle East and North Africa.’ He is the author of five other books on the Middle East.

The Afghan war lasted for nearly ten years from 1979-89 resulting in the pull out of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.

Why it took place? Soviets had evidence that Americans were subverting Soviet supported Afghan regime, to make up for the loss of Iran. They also felt that Americans may be planning to avenge their defeat in Vietnam. Afghanistan was located in Soviet backyard adjacent to their vulnerable Muslim majority Central Asian region. Americans believed that Soviets wanted to reach Indian Ocean through Baluchistan, dismembering Pakistan with Iranian support. Soviet successes in Angola, Ethiopia, South Yemen, and own setbacks in Iran were fresh in their minds.

Thus the sinister game began. In the words of US Security Advisor Brezizinski - we didn’t push the Russians to intervene but we consciously increased the probability that they would do so – effect was to draw Russians into Afghan trap. Americans too dreamt of the ‘great oil game’ , involving liberation of CAR states and flow of oil to Karachi through Afghanistan. The prodding was provided by oil corporates of America and the West.

The US bred proxy war model was based on the premise – Islamists would make good anti communist allies. Plan was to hire, train and control motivated mercenaries. The trainers came mainly from Pak ISI and some Afghan personnels who were trained by the US Army’s ‘Green Berets’ and Navy SEALS. Mass training of warriors was to be conducted by Pakistan.

The Egyptian government which had earlier always opposed extremist forces, began to actively patronise them. The reason was to please the fundamentalists so as to reconcile them to active American engagement or treaty with Israel. Egypt became anti-Soviet, a home of Muslim Maghreb. It was a total mistake for Sadat; Muslim ‘Brotherhood’ was greatly antagonised by the lavish life style of the Americans that percolated down to the Egyptian ruling elites - politicians, officials, military and business class. This was also the root cause of the down fall of Shah of Iran. No wonder that Pakistani military rulers like Zia-ul Haque and now Pervez Musharraf have projected an image of modest life style unlike the ostentatious Pakistani politicians.

Pakistan had its own axe to grind. Living the trauma of ‘71 war, its raison daitre the two nation theory lay shattered. She was obsessed with Islamic bomb and Kashmir as revenge. Pakistan has been a front line state of USA led Western alliance during Cold War. It has played a key role in US China entente. Soviet domination of Afghanistan made her feel very vulnerable along its Western border. Its economy and political systems were in ruins. It may be noted that on partition Pak inherited nearly 23 per cent of land, 18 per cent population, only 10 per cent industrial base and 7 per cent employment facilities. Pak rulers thought that to fight America’s war by proxy would lead the nation to a Shangri-La - leadership of Muslim World, secure Western border and strategic depth against India, wherewithdawls to fuel insurgency in Kashmir and Security from a hostile Iran. The partnership in addition provided leverage against USA, forcing latter to ignore Pak’s nuclear programme. Accordingly part of the vast funds, arms, ammunition and drugs were deliberately pilfered by the ISI/army and diverted to Kashmir. At the end of Afghan war in 1989, the entire proxy war infrastructure was oriented towards India as the flow of funds, arms and drugs continued from Muslim world. In fact the cycle became self sustaining, more so with Pak created Taliban gaining control of Afghanistan. The escalation of proxy war in J&K between 1989 – 1999 is a distinct outcome.

The ISI was not only a weapon distributor, trainer and sort of all round political and military ‘guru’ to Mujahideen. It also emerged as a kind of political broker in Pakistan. ISI cooperated with Chinese against India. It controlled drug traffic. The yearly production of opium in Pakistan and Afghanistan rose to 400 tons per year surpassing that of ‘Golden Triangle’. Drugs were used as currency and also a weapon by spreading the use in already demoralised, corrupted and politicised Red Army. Religious appeal of jihad was another weapon against Muslim troops and population of Soviet Union. The corruption helped in procuring even the brand new weapons from the Soviet army. ISI raised seven Afghan groups mostly Sunnis. Shiite groups were from Shia population of West Afghanistan and were controlled by Iran. The CIA/ISI also began to provide Arab weapons captured in Lebanon by Israel and even rifles purchased/ pilfered in India.

China felt threatened as old silk route (Karakoram) highway would come under Soviet domination. The Khunjareb pass would soon become notorious, in one of the Asian fronts, where the Afghan fighters would be using their American and Pakistani training alongwith US and Chinese supplied weapons, to wreak vengeance on a traditional enemy. In this case Indian police, army and administration in Indian State of J&K.

The Chinese have always considered themselves as ‘Middle Kingdom’ and those outside as ‘barbarians’. Friendly barbarians should pay tribute and buy their security. They also believe in playing off one set of barbarians against another in order to control the actions of both. The Chinese find it undesirable to allow one hegemonist to win out completely. Thus, as Soviets were losing the Chinese interest in Afghan war waned. This explains their behind the scene/ambiguous role in playing USSR-USA, Russia–USA, Pakistan–India cards at different occasions. Unfortunately this strategy did not work with Muslims living inside China. As per the international estimates of 1994, in China about 8.2 per cent (1.2 billion) people are minorities with 70 per cent of them Muslims. They are scattered over 64.5 per cent of its total territory in North East, North West and South West China, they Comprise Ughurs, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Tartars, Kirghiz, and others. Majority of them reside in Xinjiang province adjacent to Tibet. Chinese support to Mujahideen resulted in Muslim uprising in Xinjiang. China have managed to contain the damage by employing strategy of providing economic sops, effective sealing of borders and drowning dissidence by demographic invasion e.g. Tibet. A colonial strategy earlier used by French, British, Portuguese and even Russians. Sensing the vulnerabilities the Chinese enthusiasm for Islamic fighters has since evaporated.

The recruiting and training of trainers and trainees was like an inverted pyramid with Americans on the top and Pakistan in the middle acting as a hinge pin. UK provided experts to train mercenaries as well as hiring them. France chipped in with surveillance support, training of paramedics, fuel and communication support. Israel gave captured obsolescent weapons, Egypt, Sudan and Algeria gave men, material and religious support. Iran ran training bases for Shiite groups.

Millions of dollars flew into Pakistan. Saudi Arabia matched USA in terms of financial contributions. Drug money, counterfeit notes have also helped to finance guerilla wars/terrorist activities in Algeria, Egypt, Bosnia, Kashmir, Philippines and other countries. It has also enabled international terrorist leaders to lead luxurious life styles and fabulous incomes. The Black Budget of USA grew to 36 billion dollars a year. In the post Afghan war era Pakistan has privatised Jihad. Instead of rogue governments, rogue private financiers are responsible for much of political terrorism in the West and J&K. Non banking financial companies, tax on ransom/ extortion money, smuggled goods, robbery and banditry collected by mafias, exchange of drugs for arms, counterfeiting and laundering of money are some of the known financial tools. Criminal–politician–judicial-bureaucratic nexus has acted as force multiplier.

The methodology of the terrorist groups was to create disorder by attacks on security forces, judges, minorities, foreign tourists and other human targets like celebrities. The availability of SAMs like Stingers thus forcing attack helicopters and aircraft to safer attitudes, degrading their effectiveness.

Another trend noticed has been that people of war ravaged areas, where normal crops get destroyed respond by growing poppy and other drugs. As effort involved is much less with disproportionately higher returns. That’s what is happening in Afghanistan, and CAR states like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kryghistan and Chechnya.

Russia has suffered the consequences of defeat in proxy war - break up of Soviet Union, demoralised army turning to big time crime, fracturing of society. In 70 years of Communist rule it has lost one third of its manpower. Peasant class, agricultural resources, rivers, lakes and clean atmosphere has been degraded by mismanagement and waste of resources by industrial pollution. Families were destroyed, women subjugated, lack of health care, medicines and proper diet are common place. Drug culture has taken deeper roots.

The contagion has inevitably spread to Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, America and Western Europe and China. However, Morocco and Tunisia have contained it by good governance and prompt punishments. America’s offensive against Bin Laden and Taliban has deterred Mujahideen. India, Egypt, Indonesia and Pakistan itself, alongwith other developing countries of Asia and Africa are dangerously vulnerable.

None of the governments involved in plotting proxy war intrigues anticipated that it will prove to be a juggernaut and Frankenstein’s monster turning back on its creaters. Mark Twain has very aptly said that a man can seldom – very, very seldom fight a winning fight against his training, the odds are too heavy.

Revealing Information. The book also serves as a source of interesting information which is given below:-

Why Osama Bin Laden can not be handed over by Taliban! Besides pumping money into Islamic war chests, he has built roads, hospitals, mosques and airstrips in Afghanistan. After Afghan war he sheltered and employed large number of Jihadi fighters in his construction company. Afghans are not ungrateful people. He is still believed to be having links in Saudi Royal family. His business is thriving under his father and 51 brothers.

Taliban Chief Mulla Mohammad Omar was a cleric in the Binari Mosque of Karachi where Bin Laden first met him. Maulana Azhar Masood of Jaish-e-Mohammad (IC-814 hijacking notoriety) also operates from the same mosque. The roots of Jihadis run deep inside Pakistan.

Quotes of a leading Muslim Maghreb ideologue: Women come out of their home only thrice - at the time of birth, when married and when being taken to cemetery; All Muslims must attend Friday prayers, Jihadi clerics deliver political sermons on that day; Jihad against secularists is the duty of every Muslim.

Americans have shown a trend of tricking their enemies into disastrous adventures, followed by the fatal blow - Soviets into Afghanistan war, Saddam Hussain into invading Kuwait. Rather than making martyrs out of the adversary by killing, he is encaged and left to wither on the vine, Saddam Hussain and Bin Laden are two such examples.

Lessons for India

Proxy war is equally disastrous for the abettor and the target country. It spreads like cancer to other regions if allowed to continue for prolonged duration. Proxy war lies at the lower end of the conflict spectrum. It takes the society to the abyss of anarchy and ultimately the extreme point - the mutual destruction. The higher end of spectrum is slightly different, therein violent destruction precedes the chaos and anarchy leading to further destruction. Ultimately there is convergence at the end point. The Russian example has shown the catastrophic consequences of defeat. India therefore, must win the proxy war at the earliest. It is our survival interest. Indian polity and people must be galvanised to willingly unite in implementing the winning strategies. Credit must be given to democratic India and Indian Army for retaining upper hand for more than a decade.

Proxy war is non linear in nature, seeking to influence human mind by terror. Information is the most lethal weapon in its armour, whoever uses it more effectively would win. A comprehensive information campaign to bridge the social, ethnic and religious divide must be launched.

Developed societies are clamouring for seamless globalisation for promoting market economy. Interestingly pan Islamists/narco terrorists too do not recognize national boundaries. The secular and developing countries like India facing proxy war cannot accept this treatise. For them, nationalism is the disruptive strategy to counter proxy war. At the same time increased foreign participation in the market on reciprocal basis would bring in greater international support against terrorist forces due to convergence of trade interests.

India should study and adopt practices of moderate Islamic countries, USA and China. These countries have attained reasonable success against fundamentalist forces.

Good governanace, declaratory policy of not succumbing to terrorists’ blackmail, a war against corruption, austere life style of ruling establishment, intelligentsia and business class, uniform education and health care policies, quick trial and deterrent punishment to offenders, strict vigilance of establishments - producing, stocking and using weapons and ammunition, tough anti drug regimes and effective anti money laundering measures (including monitoring of cash flows) are some of the indirect strategic imperatives that emerge out of the book.

Attractive service conditions, selection on merit and respectable status of the armed forces and other security forces in society will keep them apolitical, secular and corruption free - an absolute prerequisite for winning the proxy war.

Lastly, the book has rather small print and surfeit of data making it heavy reading at places. But it is a must read for every concerned Indian citizen specially security forces personnel, bureaucrats and politicians.