US troops
poised to
cross Afghan
border for
raid on
bases
By Zahid
Hussain in
Islamabad .
16/07/08
"The
Times"
-- - US
troops in
Afghanistan
massed close
to the
border
yesterday
for a
possible
attack on
al-Qaeda and Taleban
bases in the
lawless
North
Waziristan
tribal belt
in Pakistan.
Reports from
the area
said that
hundreds of
Nato troops
were
airlifted
across the
mountains
from the
village of
Lowara Mandi,
which has
been an
important
base for
cross-border
attacks in
Afghanistan.
Heavy
artillery
and armoured
vehicles
were also
being moved
into
position.
The
deployment
followed a
claim by the
Afghan
Government
on Monday
that the
Pakistani
Army and its
spy agency
had become
“the world's
biggest
producers of
terrorism
and
extremism”.
The
Pakistani
Foreign
Ministry
accused
Kabul of
creating an
“artificial
crisis to
satisfy
short-term
political
expediencies”.
President
Bush said
yesterday
that the US
would
investigate
the Afghan
claims to
“get to the
bottom of
the
allegation”.
He said that
he was
troubled by
the movement
of
extremists
from
Pakistan
into
Afghanistan.
“I certainly
hope that
the
[Pakistani]
Government
understands
the dangers
of
extremists
moving in
their
country,” Mr
Bush
said.Tensions
have been
heightened
since the
deaths of
nine
soldiers on
Sunday when
insurgents
overran a US
base in
Kunar
province,
close to the
Pakistani
border.
Western
commanders
say there
has been a
marked
increase in
cross-border
infiltration
in the past
few months,
fuelling the
insurgency
in
Afghanistan.
Nato troops
have clashed
with
Pakistani
units along
the South
Waziristan
border.
US Admiral
Michael
Mullen, the
chairman of
the Joint
Chiefs of
Staff, made
an announced
visit to
Islamabad at
the weekend
and held a
series of
meetings
with
Pakistan's
top civil
and military
leadership.
According to
well-placed
sources,
Admiral
Mullen
warned
Pakistan
that the US
could take
unilateral
military
action if
the
cross-border
attacks in
Afghanistan
were not
stopped. The
US official
said that
some
elements
within
Pakistani
security
agencies
could be
helping the
insurgents
operate from
their bases
in the
border
region.
An
influential
Pakistani
army
official
said there
were strong
indications
that the US
was ready to
launch
bombing
raids
against
suspected
al-Qaeda and
Taleban
camps inside
Pakistan.
The official
said that
any
unilateral
American
military
action could
have serious
repercussions
and create
difficulties
for
Pakistani
counter-terrorism
efforts.
Washington
is concerned
by the new
Government's
move to
strike peace
deals with
militant
groups,
pacts that
American
critics say
will simply
give
insurgents
time to
regroup and
gain
strength.
Analysts say
that the
failure of
the new
coalition
Government
led by the
Pakistan
People's
Party to
formulate a
clear
counter-insurgency
policy has
affected the
military's
efforts to
curb
cross-border
infiltration
and the
rising
influence of
militants in
Pakistan's
North West
Frontier
Province.
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