Pakistan

Pakistan to decide N Waziristan timing: Pentagon

Reuters May 21, 2010

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon expressed confidence on Thursday that Pakistan would mount an offensive in North Waziristan, a key Taliban stronghold bordering Afghanistan, but said Islamabad would decide on the timing.

US President Barack Obama dispatched White House National Security Adviser Jim Jones and CIA director Leon Panetta to Pakistan earlier this week to urge the government there to step up pressure on the Pakistani Taliban following a botched May 1 car-bombing in New York's Time Square.

But Defense Secretary Robert Gates, speaking at a Pentagon press conference, said Washington's focus was on seeing "how can we intensify our cooperation in dealing with this mutual threat" rather than on pushing for any "qualitative change" in Pakistan's approach.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Pakistan army chief Ashfaq Kiyani had "indicated" to him more than a year ago that he had "plans to execute that mission" in North Waziristan. But Mullen said the timing was "really up to him (Kiyani)" and the United States understood that the Pakistani military was already "stretched" by operations in other tribal areas.

"He's got two fronts. He's got a military that's lost a lot of soldiers, sacrificed a great deal, and so that it makes a lot of sense to me that he does get to pick this timeline," Mullen said. "When I have dealt with him in the past, what he has said he would do in the future, he's always done."

Gates estimated that Pakistan already had seven divisions and 140,000 troops in and around the tribal areas, calling it a "huge effort."

US investigators believe accused Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad, who was born in Pakistan and became a US citizen last year, received assistance from the Pakistani Taliban movement. Gates said the growing reach of the Pakistani Taliban - from attacking the government in Islamabad to plotting a car-bombing in Times Square - showed that "we now have a mutual interest in trying to stop this group -- stop it from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, stop it from carrying out attacks outside of Pakistan, and especially in the United States."

COMMENTS (6)

Farukh Sarwar | 14 years ago | Reply It is very true of the US authorities to leave the decision of launching an operation in North Waziristan on the General of Pakistan Army; this step will promote mutual cooperation and will certainly help US to reduce the trust deficit that had existed in the past.

Shabah | 14 years ago | Reply To all those guys against the operation. Are you crazy? June is near. We need Dollars. This is a very nice thing we have going on here. We need to do this.

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danish | 14 years ago | Reply please for GOD sake,Muslims wake up now and stop furthering the American agenda....first of all,Americans invaded Afghanistan unjustly then they attacked Iraq on the pretext of so called "weapons of mass destruction".in fact,it is America that possesses weapons of mass destruction.they have already killed and injured thousands of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq and Pakistan tribal areas............They are never our friend and never will they be.please i implore the Pakistani government never to go into North Waziristan,they are our Muslim brothers and we should support them and we should not stand by the unbelievers.please please please .

Sadia Hussain | 14 years ago | Reply The Pakistani efforts against terrorism need to be taken to the next level; however this changed should be incremental. It is positive to note that the mantra of “Do more” has stopped and the United States understand Pakistan will have to pick the fronts as per its capacity and planning. An operation which is carried out without considering all implications will likely fail. The results will be gradual but sustainable if operations are carried out under elaborate planning.

Rashid Saleem | 14 years ago | Reply Pak army has conducted an excellent operation in S Waziristan. It is imperative to do the same in N Waziristan but before we decide to do so, we must first completely eliminate such threats from the areas where the operation is under progress.

wazdan | 14 years ago | Reply Now please stop killing own people for the sake of America. Talibans has their goal to libarate Afghanistan from these evil powers,why they ask for attacking.It is the war of America taking lives of innocent Pakistani.restrain from Americans dictation.Taliban has stoped bombing in Pakistan.it is a good gesture toward their own country.no Pakistani Will allow Army to attack his own peoples.till now we have lost more than 15000 lives dead or injured,along with 50+ billion$ of loses to our economy.which we cant effort.If this time Army attack Pakhtoons, Talibans there will be very bad consequences,& uncotrolable protests from Pakistani peoples,Talibans are the same taliban who were trained encouraged by USA.It is their problem to secure them self from Talibans,They will leave the country & will leave Pakistan with enmity with Talibans for ever.our success is not to accept dictation from America. first they pay our loses then we decide what to do.

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