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| Afghanistan |
| US Report: Pakistan Continues To Support Terror Groups, |
| 2010-06-22 |
| It took a study to find this out? Pakistan is continuing to support militant groups further undermining coalition efforts in Afghanistan and increasing the risk of terror attacks overseas, according to a new report by security analysts. The study by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit research group, said the US should withhold some aid until Islamabad makes progress in tackling the insurgents on its doorstep. If not, they concluded, Jihadi organisations would become increasingly capable of exporting terror, such as the attempted Times Square bombing on May 1. "A number of militant networks -- including al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad -- remain entrenched in Pakistan and pose a grave threat to the state and the region," said Seth Jones, one of the authors. "Pakistan has long used its support of militant groups as a foreign policy tool, so ending that will take time." Pakistan's commitment to tackling home-grown militants has long been questioned. Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba have their roots in Pakistan's conflict with India over Kashmir. Others were nurtured by Islamabad as they fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, before taking control of the country as the Taliban. The Pakistani government is under pressure to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan, headquarters of the Haqqani network, one of the most dangerous insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan. Last month Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, claimed that Pakistani officials knew the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. Since then, American politicians have softened their approach. At the weekend, Richard Holbrooke, US special envoy to the region, paid tribute to the sacrifices made by Pakistani soldiers. "In regard to the war itself, Pakistan has made progress, but it doesn't mean that we've reached the end of the road. This is a tough, long struggle and much more needs to be done," he told reporters during a visit to Islamabad. The Rand report also praised recent operations in Pakistan's tribal belt but questioned whether the military was equipped to hold on to its recent gains in areas such as Bajaur and Khyber. Major General Tariq Khan, Inspector General of the Frontier Scouts, which is tasked with fighting militants in the tribal areas, said he had lost 600 men since operations began and that no one could question Pakistan's commitment. "We've done pretty well in the past two years," he said. "We're very proud of what we've achieved." |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #2 It took a study to find this out? It takes a while to warm up the bus and clean the mess from the chassis. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-06-22 21:57 |
| #1 PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > NEW PAK GOVT PLAN TO BREAK JIHADIST-AL QAEDA NEXUS IN PUNJAB, in response to varied Reports that ALQAEDA + TTP are planning a FRESH WAVE OF ATTACKS in PAK's MOST POPULOUS PROVINCE. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-06-22 21:55 |