Securing, Stabilizing and Developing Pakistan’s Border Area with Afghanistan

Stabilizing and securing Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan is a key goal of the Global War on Terror, and vital if the threat from Al Qaeda to the United States and the world is to be mitigated. Despite the effort of more than six years and expenditures of billions of dollars-some of it in aid to Pakistan for its own efforts in this measure-the goal remains unmet. This frank report, from the United States Government Accountability Office, assesses the current lack of a comprehensive plan for achieving this important objective and lays out a plan for moving forward. From the military element of such an effort-including the training and equipping of frontier corps-to the law-enforcement challenges of implementing border security to how diplomacy and economic development can help. Anyone who wishes to more fully understand the prosecution of the Global War on Terror will find this essential and informative reading.