Islamabad vows to guard its territorial integrity
Pakistan's army vowed Friday to safeguard the country's territorial integrity under the leadership of its new democratic government, an official statement said.
Not that they'd close the border or do anything about the Talibunnies. They have .. other .. ways of safeguarding the territorial integrity of their country. Ask them. | The statement came at the end of a two-day meeting of army commanders, amid nationwide anger over a raid by U.S. ground troops last week and repeated missile attacks in the troubled tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
It coincided with a pre-dawn missile strike by a suspected US drone Friday in which 12 people were killed in a Pakistani tribal area where U.S. forces have been aggressively targeting Al-Qaeda militants, fuelling further anger from Washington's key "war on terror" ally. Missile strikes targeting militants in Pakistan in recent weeks have been blamed on U.S.-led coalition forces or CIA drones based in Afghanistan. Pakistan does not have missile-equipped drones.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hit out at the strike, saying that only Pakistani forces have the right to act on its territory. "We strongly condemn this attack and the government will raise this issue at diplomatic level," he told reporters.
As well as missile strikes, Pakistan last week for the first time accused Afghanistan-based troops of carrying out a direct attack on its territory, a raid in the South Waziristan tribal zone that left 15 people dead.
U.S. and Afghan officials say Pakistan's tribal areas are a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who sneaked into the rugged region after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001. Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are widely believed to be hiding in the mountainous region.
Posted by: Fred 2008-09-13 |