Tribesmen Rally Against Trump for Accusing Pakistan of Harboring ‘Agents of Chaos’

Demonstrations Against US Held Nationwide

Allegations from President Trump that Pakistan is harboring “agents of chaos,” and that this is why the Afghan War hasn’t been won yet, are fueling growing annoyance from Pakistani officials, and now a major backlash from the Pakistani public.

Thousands of demonstrators nationwide, but particularly in and around the northern tribal areas, holding Pakistani flags and chanting anti-US slogans, while complaining that Trump is holding Pakistan responsible for America’s own military failures.

US officials have long favored publicly blaming Pakistan for the Afghan War going poorly, but Trump’s speech was on a much bigger stage, and fueled a backlash among Pakistani officials which has trickled down to the public.

The US war in Afghanistan has already fueled considerable anti-US sentiment within Pakistan, with spillover violence and a US drone war against Pakistan’s tribal areas leading to various levels of unrest.

This has been a complicating factor in the US war, as public anger obliges the Pakistani government to limit support for US arms shipments through their territory, and has at times led to outright border closures.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.