Word: pakistani
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...Here in the mountainous northwestern fringes of the nation, where a fierce tribal code values honor and the protection of guests, that Osama bin Laden and his key lieutenants are thought to be hiding. From these tribal areas, al-Qaeda and remnants of the Afghan Taliban, protected by their Pakistani friends, have launched attacks into Afghanistan, dragging the U.S. and its allies into a shadow war on some of the least hospitable terrain on earth. On Sept. 3, U.S.-led helicopter and ground troops made a raid into Pakistan from across the border. At least 17 Pakistanis were killed...
...Since then, at least five more U.S. attacks have occurred on Pakistani soil, and more are expected as the insurgency mounts against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. NATO Commander General David McKiernan has blamed Pakistan's inability to stop cross-border militancy for the 40% rise in attacks against U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan along the border with Pakistan. As one U.S. Army officer bluntly put it, "We can't let these guys have safe havens...
...determination to pursue militants into their sanctuaries will not be limited to air strikes. The Sept. 3 commando raid was the first publicly acknowledged ground operation conducted by U.S. special-operation forces on Pakistani soil (even though U.S. officials refuse to comment on it). Clearly, a new, more intensive campaign has begun. The mounting Pakistani resentment over the civilian casualties inflicted in the U.S. raids - and Pakistani political leaders' ritual denunciation of those actions - are unlikely to change American plans. "They've gotten used to attacks being launched from drones," says a Pentagon official. "They might get used to this...
...just hours after Mullen's statement, saying, "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country will be defended at all costs." He said there is no question of any agreement or understanding with the American-led Coalition in Afghanistan in which it is allowed to conduct operations on the Pakistani side of the border and that the current trust deficit between the two countries would lead only to more problems. Pakistani tolerance is diminishing for civilian casualties inflicted by a foreign army pursuing its own agenda. Clearly, the U.S. needs to hone its intelligence-gathering capabilities to do a better...
...Musharraf-era Pakistani official concurs, although the idea of U.S. soldiers fighting in Pakistan is so toxic that he asked that his name be withheld for fear of political repercussions. "Quite frankly, if Pakistan has the desire to carry out an action but doesn't have the capability, asking someone else to help makes sense," he said. Selling the idea to a Pakistani public already hostile to the U.S. war on terrorism, however, will be a lot more difficult. When asked how he would promote the idea, he just shrugged and smiled. With Musharraf out of the picture, selling Pakistanis...