"No Stingers to Afghanistan's Northern Alliance," The Washington Times 18 June 2001 p A16

To the Editor:

In your article on Afghanistan "Opposition Predicts New Taliban Offensive," a spokesman for the opposition Northern Alliance calls for the United States to give his faction Stinger missiles (World, June 15). This is the worst possible policy for the United States. The missiles would be ineffective and would fall into the hands of Islamic radicals.

In the 1980s, the United States supplied the Afghan mujaheddin with shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles in order to level the playing field with Soviet forces. This strategy worked because the Soviets relied on air power, particularly helicopters, to reduce casualties. By contrast, the Taliban have shown no compunction against waging bloody ground campaigns. Because of the recruitment efforts of Deobandi clerics in Pakistan’s Islamic schools, the Taliban have a virtually unlimited supply of troops. Supplying the Northern Alliance with Stingers will not change this situation.

Moreover, the Northern Alliance is a loose confederation of groups, including opium traffickers, warlords, and Iranian-backed Hazara Shi’ites. Their inability to unite after expelling the Soviets opened the door for the Taliban to seize control. Giving this motley crew Stingers is as good as handing these weapons to Islamic militants. In order to avoid this scenario, the U.S. has been trying to buy back the Stingers we gave the mujaheddin for a decade. We can’t allow our hatred of Osama bin Laden to color our judgement. Reversing good policy and sending more Stingers to Afghanistan is a recipe for disaster.

William D. Shingleton

Senior Fellow

National Defense Council Foundation

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