After Sept 11, there was this deal: US-led coalition forces would rain down democracy and the Stone Age to a Taliban-ruled Afghanistan while neighboring ally Pakistan would get generous matériel to create an Eastern Front.

Only the Pakistanis met their objectives though in ways unexpected. Part of the munitions and funds sent to Pakistan were redirected to the Taliban to combat US and British troops. It is a reality that defies 8 years of Pakistan's designation as a "US ally." It was like a hunter handing over his rifle to become the hunted a few clicks away. An estimated 1,100 coalition personnel have died in a campaign t....