The Porous Pakistan Border

To the editor:

When I think about the war in Afghanistan I usually only think of the "big picture" and not so much the smaller, more unheard of aspects of it. This was until I read an article describing the difficulties we face because of the lack of security at the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The lack of responsiveness on both sides of the border is increasing the difficulities for American troops to accomplish their goals. While American troops are attempting to stop the Taliban, members are easily crossing the border and smuggling weapons into Pakistan where American and NATO forces cannot reach them. There is security at the border, although it's anything but secure. The gaurds are being bribed and vehicles traveling across are not being searched or the passengers identified. This is just one of the many less publized difficulties for American forces. We are constantly complaining about how long this war has been going on, but we fail to realize some of the smaller issues that are prolonging it. In order to accomplish goals, these "loop-holes" in the sytem need to be fixed.