[ADN Kronos] Religious extremists operating along the Pakistan-Afghan border pose a direct threat to Pakistan's existence, the commander of US forces in the region, David Petraeus, has warned Good call, Dave.
During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on US president Barack Obama's new strategy to defeat Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, Petraeus on Wednesday also vowed to take the fight to insurgents in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Good idea. First break the problem into manageable parts: north and south, with north getting lotsa development aid, south getting lotsa heavy ordnance. Then get some pretty murderous proxies going within Pakistain, the while piously denying any involvement.
He did not explain how he planned to do so.
He may still be figuring it, or he may have it all figured already and not want to tell the enemy what he's gonna do, or he may have part of it figured and he's still filling in the remaining blanks but still doesn't want to discuss it with the enemy.
However, Obama said last week that the United States would pursue 'high-value' terrorist targets inside Pakistan but would consult Islamabad before doing so.
What if they're in Islamabad? Can we discuss it after we kill them?
Also last week, Obama's national security adviser James Jones indicated that the US would continue drone attacks inside Pakistan as they had proven 'effective' against the militants.
Despite the bitching, moaning, and claims of ineffectiveness of the Paks.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda groups based in the border area were "an ever more serious threat to Pakistan's very existence," Petraeus told the Senate panel.
And a horse has four feet.
The Pakistani military, he said, had stepped up operations against the militants but more action was needed.
The Pak military has revealed itself pretty much inept when it comes to anything more complicated that running a bakery or providing covering fire for jihadis.
Petraeus noted that the situation in Pakistan was closely linked to that of Afghanistan.
Its a dog with two tails that take turns wagging the dog.
He praised Obama's new plan for developing a regional approach to resolve the issue of militancy, describing it as a step in the right direction. Petraeus acknowledged that militants in Afghanistan were growing in strength and audacity but vowed to fight them "relentlessly and aggressively."
He's toast. He'll be replaced by the ghost of William Westmoreland any time now.
But Petraeus and top US defence department official Michele Flournoy were greeted with sceptical questions from senators about how willing the Pakistani government is to fight extremists hiding in the country's lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
Not all skepticism is honest, is it?
Committee chairman Carl Levin warned that he did not agree with the administration's claim that progress in Afghanistan depended on success on the Pakistan side of the border.
He knows of another way to get supplies into Afghanistan?
Afghanistan's future should not be tied totally to the Pakistan government's decisions, he said, adding that he remained doubtful about Pakistan's ability to secure its border. "I remain sceptical that Pakistan has either the will or the capability to secure their border," he said.