Al Qaeda safe havens in FATA still pose threat: US

US to refocus its counter-terrorism strategy to combat the threat of home-grown terror.

WASHINGTON:

The United States has vowed to pursue the “utter destruction” of al Qaeda, while refocusing its counter-terrorism strategy to combat the threat of home-grown terror, particularly from ‘safe havens’ in Pakistan.

In its counter-terrorism strategy for 2011, released on Thursday, the US has said that al Qaeda continues to remain a threat and its defeat will only be achieved through a sustained partnership with Pakistan.

“From its base of operations in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), al Qaeda continues to pose a persistent and evolving threat to the US as well as to Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the strategy paper, released by The White House, stated.

While acknowledging Pakistan’s resolve in the war against terrorism, the report suggested that greater Pakistan-US strategic cooperation across a broader range of political, military, and economic pursuits will be necessary to achieve the defeat of the militant group in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama’s key counterterrorism adviser John O Brennan publicly revealed the counterterrorism strategy. The principal focus is “al Qaeda, its affiliates and its adherents,” said Brennan, speaking at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington.

Regarding Pakistan, Brennan acknowledged that the relationship “is not without tension or frustration,” but said that both sides were working to overcome differences.

“I am confident that Pakistan will remain one of our most important counterterrorism partners,” he said.

Additional input by News Desk

Published in The Express Tribune, July 1^st, 2011.