Pakistan-Af: Operation Khyber Storm

[mythbuster]

It is extremely risky to fight a war on two fronts, but both fronts are contrasting.

The eastern front is made up of LOC, working boundary and International border. This front has war bells of of conventional warfare for which the majority of Pakistan Army, PAF, and PN are poised against India. The two strike Corps, and then 5th, 30th as well as 31st Corps are the maneuver Corps which have armored and mechanized formations. The terrain in Punjab and Sindh also supports gunship operations as backup for ground forces. PAF has all their major AFBs in these regions and the bulk of PAF's strike aircraft are stationed here. PAF F-16s are permanently stationed in Punjab and Sindh, the J-10s along with Mirages are stationed in Punjab for strikes towards IOK, Indian Punjab and southeast direction towards Jaisalmer in the desert.

The LOC is a heavily defended area, which can turn volatile in minutes as there are many LOC violations on regular basis from India. When Indian troops in IOK fire at AJK, PA gives a befitting response, so India loses a few soldiers to kill a few on Pakistani side. This isn't working well for India. The working boundary at Sialkot has firing incidents but are rare. Even then both these "demarcations" are backed up with conventional infantry, artillery and armored formations. The IB from Lahore to Badin is patrolled regularly by Rangers on pakistan side and BSF on Indian side. That leaves two more regions: Siachen in north and Rann of Kutch in south. Siachen is an extreme example of LOC- all the offensives of 80s and 90s don't occur anymore, both sides know they will lose troops to enemy fire while the troops are already battling -50'C weather on both sides. The Rann of Kutch is being defended by three forces from three sides by three forces - Army from north, Rangers from west and Marines from south, where the creek area ends. India is angling towards creating a new issue in Rann of Kutch.

This is why a conventional war on eastern front is NOT favored by India, as India hardly gets the advantage it wants.

Now, the western front is another story. This was a low priority border for Pakistan except in 80's. In 2000s, it has gained momentum in unconventional warfare and this is where India wants to defeat Pakistan. Early on, PA shifted reserve formations of Strike Corps, especially 14th ID from II Strike Corps and 17th ID from 1 Strike Corps to Swat and FATA regions. That made Indians very happy, which ended in the 2001-2 fiasco where India lost troops bringing them towards the border. Pakistan told Uncle Sam look what our naughty neighbor is doing and Uncle Sam sitting in Afghanistan told India to back off, as they were getting assistance from Pakistan to target AQ.

Thus later on, Pakistan raised two more FC formations, one in KPK and one in Baluchistan. This angered the Indians as now Pakistan won't be moving its forces towards west from east. Furthermore, Pakistan started FC in CT and COIN ops with upgraded weaponry, vehicles and communication systems. Later Pakistan formed CTD to help Police all over Pakistan against TTP and BLA.

There was one defective side though, the AH-1 Cobras couldn't perform ops in high altitude areas like ParaChinar so Pakistan chose AH-1Z, then T-129 and now Z-10, but by this time the nature of warfare had changed again. India now wanted Pakistan to lose soldiers on western border without directly involving Indian troops unlike LOC, so TTP was funded. If you calculate, for one terrorism incident by TTP, India spends roughly USD ~40-50,000. Thats a huge cost if you multiply it by incidents in a year. That is why the annual budget of ISI is peanuts compared to RAW.

In this recent Afghan-Pak war, it was FC fighting on all fronts, the regular Army was back up incase FC falls back, but that never happened. The Afghan border posts were also captured by FC, not PA or SSG. So Pakistan's plan worked regarding FC as a fighting formation in conventional and unconventional warfare. Somethings that Rangers aren't even exposed to on the eastern border. This is why FC was given Type-69 tanks and 25-pounder howitzers (WWII era) along with RPGs, mortars, etc.

This shows that in an event of war where India and Afghanistan attack Pakistan simultaneously, the advantage that India thought it could have has been nullified to a great extent. PA on eastern border can thrash Indian Army while FC on western border can thrash Afghan Taliban and TTP.

The terrain on western border is a very big challenge. PA needs lots of helis, lots of secure bases and posts. The mountain region is treacherous for transport by road or on dirt tracks unlike LOC. The LOC has lots of vegetation (trees etc), where as western mountains are bare and rocky. Patrolling becomes an issue. Even communication becomes an issue, its not easy for transmission signals to pass through rocks and inside caves. Taliban have been using Thuraya satcom phones since 2000s, but they have limitations also. If FC gets smaller fennecs for patrolling or QRF then that would be helpful otherwise traversing on vehicles is limited in mountains.

Now, the Durand line itself is an issue. Afghans and Indians want it to remain an invisible line, not a International border. So a diplomatic front in Qatar needs to be opened to ensure that everyone recognizes it as a border, otherwise no one will adhere to international laws or agreements terming the line isn't a border.

TTP claims KPK as their land, Taliban wants to lay the same claim too. There is religious extremism which drives human resources from Pakistan tribal areas (KPK and Baluch) and Afghanistan to join TTP and BLA (missing persons saga). This recruiting drive has to end. Any military force has a budget and can sustain a certain number of troops. This isnt applicable on terrorist outfits. They can instantly swell in numbers and then go thin as sides are changed. Pakistan is killing disgruntled, then religiously brainwashed Pakistanis (Afghan mixed family) and Afghanis and lastly vengeful Afghanis who cant bear the fact they have beaten superpowers but cant beat Pakistan.

This is why this war on western border has no end in sight.

The major challenge in every war is technology. Firstly, the one with cutting edge systems will have an upper hand and secondly how can the use of such technology bring success in unconventional warfare like western border.

In a nutshell it's all honky dory..... warriors can take a nap without fear .

 

[gamaji]

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Interesting, why is Turkish Intel chief part of the talks?

Given some CARs with Turkish ethnic population, Türkiye has justifiably deep interest in Afghan affairs. BTW, these coward Afghanis get their pants wet when it comes to facing Uzbeks or Tajiks. The presence of Turkish intelligence chief on the negotiating table is helpful for Pakistan.

 

[WAZA]

we don't want to , we are not warmongers like Israel or India , but the current afghani government is making it very hard . we cant just sit while your government sends loads of suicide bombers and terrorists every week , publicly say they don't accept Durand , and your leaders showing casing maps of "greater" Afghanistan (which is what India does btw ) .

Then the Bas.... taliban should do somthing about the TTP launching attacks into Pakistan from inside Afghanistan.

And the Durand Line is here to stay - any wet-dreams of an "imaginary" boundaries will remain wet-dreams.

The dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan has little to do with the Durand Line. The real issue lies in Pakistan’s ongoing conflict with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Realistically, there’s not much the Afghan Taliban can do about it other than try to mediate between the two sides.

The TTP had been fighting the Pakistani government long before the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. In fact, both groups once fought side by side against NATO forces and the previous Afghan government. When everyone — including Pakistan — turned against the Taliban after the NATO invasion, it was the Pashtun mujahideen from Pakistan, who later became the TTP, that gave them shelter and support. So, it’s unrealistic to expect the Taliban to turn against them now.

From Pakistan’s perspective, the only viable solution is to engage in dialogue with the TTP and resolve the conflict through negotiation. This is the position the Taliban support, and it’s also shared by several influential Pakistani figures, including Imran Khan

 

[Hakikat ve Hikmet]

Pardon my ignorance, what is the significance of Turkish Intel Chief?? ISI Chief was ALSO there obviously not in the picture. Are you saying Turkish Chief has some sort of a trump card?? I highly doubt it.

Turkey has got the technology and experience of enforcing a buffer zone and to protect it against the best equipped proxies of the West....

No other Muslim countries have done it so far....

 

[Toxic]

Yk Pakeys are retarted when one guy is saying Pakistan bombed Afghanistan because of promises to trump not knowing that Afghan proxies were popping more than a dozen or so FC+Army men of ours a day
While the other wants to literally nuke a neighboring muslim country, not knowing that his country was built as a homeland for persecuted muslims, the nuclear program was financed as "Islamic" bomb
Same country whose whole PR is based on a Muslim identity have rabid nationalists calling for a nuclear holocaust
Our verbal diarrhea all over SM is putting even Indians to shame

L mera Muslim bomb, buddy it's the Pakistani bomb, Muslims in other countries didn't go through crippling sanctions for those nukes Pakistanis did, the sooner we can bury this Ummah chummah narrative the better, in the modern age our biggest supporters on the global stage are: China, a communist atheist state, and turkey, A secular republic.

 

[Meengla]

TTP claims KPK as their land, Taliban wants to lay the same claim too. There is religious extremism which drives human resources from Pakistan tribal areas (KPK and Baluch) and Afghanistan to join TTP and BLA (missing persons saga). This recruiting drive has to end. Any military force has a budget and can sustain a certain number of troops. This isnt applicable on terrorist outfits. They can instantly swell in numbers and then go thin as sides are changed. Pakistan is killing disgruntled, then religiously brainwashed Pakistanis (Afghan mixed family) and Afghanis and lastly vengeful Afghanis who cant bear the fact they have beaten superpowers but cant beat Pakistan.
This is why this war on western border has no end in sight.

The Western front is a HORDE of 40 MILLION people with a very little human and natural resources.
That's why.

 

[hasssanali8998]

The dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan has little to do with the Durand Line.

i am sorry i disagree , talks cant happen ceasefires cant happen when you don't even even accept a countries boundary . this is why Taliban support anti Pakistan groups both Baloch and ttp because they have the retarded dream of taking land back ( just like israel lmao ) and also the stupid religious extremism where talis want to impose there version of islam on pakistan

. Realistically, there’s not much the Afghan Taliban can do about it other than try to mediate between the two sides.

yeah sure but the least you can do is to stop giving them weapons safe houses and monthly payments

From Pakistan’s perspective, the only viable solution is to engage in dialogue with the TTP and resolve the conflict through negotiation

do seriously think we cant fight talis/ttp , we are the reason they beat USSR/US .

including Pakistan

ask the US why they lost in Afghanistan and they will tell you about Pakistan , we helped you for 30 years and in the end you betrayed us

 

[hasssanali8998]

crippling sanctions for those nukes Pakistanis did

lmao yes and these arabs think we will give them these nukes ,l mera nukes .

the sooner we can bury this Ummah chummah narrative the better

real, the ummah is dead . and the arabs killed it .

 

[HAIDER]

Why is Pakistan’s political system so fragile that it often relies on external parties to mediate and resolve internal disputes? It’s deeply concerning that third party guarantors are needed just to finalize treaties. For instance, following the tragic Army Public School massacre, there were reports of an undisclosed agreement involving the TTP, Turkey, and the Pakistani military. Many TTP members are believed to be residing in Turkey............ raising further questions about the nature and transparency of such arrangements.

 

[HRK]

Pakistan should immediately get Durand line converted to International Boarders....to end Afghans dreaming

It's officially an Internationally Recognize Border in all international bodies. There is no ambiguity in it.

Its only Afghan who call it "Durand Line".

 

[HRK]

It’s pathetic a nuclear power is even negotiating with cavemen.

Very poor decision by this government.

The only solution is to bury them.

These cavemen were at the negotiation table with USA in recent history.

You can't deny their existence. In fact there existence is the issue

 

[Toxic]

It's officially an Internationally Recognize Border in all international bodies. There is no ambiguity in it.

Its only Afghan who call it "Durand Line".

Well Durand line is the name of the border itself, btw isn't them openly telling you about their intention of invading and trying to take your territory A pretty good justification for you to conduct preemptive strikes

 

[flyingorca]

Then the Bas.... taliban should do somthing about the TTP launching attacks into Pakistan from inside Afghanistan.

And the Durand Line is here to stay - any wet-dreams of an "imaginary" boundaries will remain wet-dreams.

So basically, their justification is rooted in the land their ancestors briefly captured during 1600s.

 

[Cipher212]

So army listened to Imran Khan and signed peace deal at Doha? Am I supposed to call him Taliban Munir now?

 

[gamaji]

A country surviving on aid, remittances, no manufacturing sector to speak off....
Gulf $ built the program and our islamist larps
But that's off topic anyways

Pakistani SM is disgusting and should stop talking like temu Hindutava with all the retarded talk of turning Afghanistan into dust or glass.
You don't have the capability even if you lack any moral or ideological compass

You guys just make us sound like Israelis.

I don't care about your other crap but how do Pakistanis look like Israeli war criminals?