WASHINGTON, DC—Frustration and anger among American soldiers in Afghanistan has reached its highest point in a decade, prompting US defense secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman Joints Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen to rush to shift the blame on to Pakistan.

A Pakistani diplomat in Washington, who asked not to be named, described the appearance of Panetta and Mullen before US Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday as an act of ‘desperate men.’

“These are desperate men and they looked the part,” said the diplomat.

A series of high-impact attacks by Afghans against US and NATO targets has shaken the morale of American soldiers in the country, which remains under foreign occupation ten years after 9/11.

The daring attack on US Embassy and NATO offices in a sensitive part of Kabul last week embarrassed US military and CIA officers. The message was clear: US military and intelligence commanders have failed to secure the country and protect the lives of American soldiers and diplomats. 

See: Pakistan Another defeated Western General carps about the graveyard of empires

Even the usually composed Ryan C. Crocker, the US ambassador, abandoned caution and issued undiplomatic statements pointing the finger at Pakistan knowing there was no evidence to back it. Military and intelligence media managers were quick to lay the blame at Pakistan’s door without explaining why the US military, CIA, NATO, the Afghan national army and police failed to secure the area between Kabul and Pakistan’s border, assuming that that is the route taken by the attackers as US officials allege.

Both Mullen and Panetta share a large part of responsibility for American debacles in Afghanistan. And that is why both appeared desperate to spin the recent setbacks in the best possible light.

Panetta did not even blink as he claimed the recent attacks were a sign of American success. “Overall, we judge this change in tactics to be a result of a shift in momentum in our favor,” Mr. Panetta said.

Sounding even more desperate, Adm. Mullen asked US media and politicians not to talk about the setbacks, probably in order to control the nosedive in troop morale.

“We must not attribute more weight to these attacks than they deserve,” Admiral Mullen said. “They are serious and significant, but they do not represent a sea change in the odds of military success.”

Analysts believe the anti-Pakistan rhetoric of US military and intelligence officials is a diversionary tactic to save commanders from accountability. What strengthens this finding is that Us officials have furnished no evidence that can stand scrutiny and hold Pakistan accountable for its alleged link to Afghan resistance groups.

The situation inside Afghanistan has deteriorated to such an extent that US commanders are forced to use Pakistan as a convenient scapegoat.

US military has sealed the lid on several reported cases of desertions among US soldiers in Afghanistan. To avoid discussing this in public, US military has resorted to claiming deserted soldiers were either missing or kidnapped. In one case, Pentagon has given promotions to a soldier whose family is confident he is a deserter and not kidnapped by Taliban as US military claims.

Source: Pakistan Kakhudhaviz PKKH