Fitaloon at MicroShaft

Earlier this week I blogged about how the Italians had been paying “bribes” to the Taliban in Afghanistan to ensure peace whilst they were operating in the Sarobi district of Afghanistan last year.

The problem being, not that they paid these bribes, but they “forgot” to mention it when they were replaced by the French and this lead to the death of  a number of French soldiers, ten being killed and 21 wounded in a Taliban attack.

The Italians, predictably, have been denying the Times report, including a report that the US Ambassador had submitted a formal complaint about Italian payments to local insurgents in Herat province. Opposition politicians in France are demanding explanations, and they ought to receive them.

The Times however has said it stands by its report and has this to say.

We unreservedly stand by our account. Since its publication, a Taleban commander and two senior Afghan officials have confirmed that this strategy has been practised by Italian forces in this and other regions of Afghanistan.

But it is unconscionable and dangerous for a nation within the coalition to pursue a unilateral strategy without consulting their allies. The campaign against the insurgents is a collective operation, conducted through Nato, designed to provide collective security. There is a role for local deals. However unprincipled they may appear to the purist, they are far preferable to the tortuous drip of military strikes that inadvertently kill and maim civilians, and cost the counterinsurgency public support.

Deals that are negotiated locally cannot be deals that are negotiated separately, however. That is the route to Allied discord, disarray and unnecessary death. That is the charge against Italy’s strategy in Afghanistan. Silvio Berlusconi’s Government must answer it.

The Times is correct, what Italy has done is not wrong but must be part of a coherent strategy that all of the ISAF forces know about and understand.

The use of bribes may seem wrong from our point of view here in the UK but this is a standard practice in many countries. Until we understand that practices and ways of working are different we will not win the Insurgent war.

It is unfortunate that the Italians decided on this method of Insurgent War unilaterally and did not inform it’s partners, but denying it is not the way to go forward. We must use all types of warfare to win in Afghanistan, but we can only win when we are committed and coherent in our strategy and are fighting as a true partnership.

The unfortunate reflection on this story is that we currently have the same sort of problem occurring within the UK, but this time it is the MOD, Government and Armed Forces all fighting each other and not keeping each other informed. All have differing strategies and endpoints in mind. We cannot hope to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan until they all stand together.

The Italian Job -Times Online.