Volume 18, No. 6, 2021
Fighting Unconventional War In The Tribal Areas Of Pakistan Through Conventional Means
Dr. Alamgir Khan , Dr. Faisal Khan
Abstract
The US invasion of Afghanistan on October 7, 2001 left profound impact on the security situation in Pakistan. Pakistan’s tribal areas became a hub for different local and international militant organisations. As an ally of the US in the war against terror Pakistan security forces conducted military operations against these non-state actors. This infuriated the people of the tribal areas which had extended support to these different organisations in the Soviet-Afghan war. They started an armed struggle against the state and the security forces. The terrain of the tribal areas provided the militant an enabling environment which helped them to expand their area of influence. The militants effectively exploited the administrative weaknesses of the state in the tribal areas which helped them to obtain the support of the people. The government on the other side heavily relied on the conventional use of force to fight an unconventional enemy. The irregular warfare warranted a comprehensive strategy based on the principles of unconventional warfare to defeat the insurgency in the area. This contributed to the failure of initial military operation in Waziristan. However, the government later changed its strategy from conventional to unconventional warfare in Bajaur and Swat which helped them to defeat the militancy.
Pages: 4803-4814
Keywords: Unconventional warfare has remained recurrent phenomena in the twenty-first century.