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Pakistan says time not right for anti-Taliban assault
[Dawn] Pakistain will consider mounting an anti-Taliban offensive in North Wazoo only when other tribal areas are stabilised, a senior military officer said on Tuesday, a position likely to anger ally Washington.Pakistain has resisted mounting US pressure to launch a major operation in North Wazoo to eliminate the Haqqani Taliban faction. The Mighty Pak Army has repeatedly said it is too stretched fighting Taliban Islamic fascisti in other forbidding mountaineous regions, and that only it can determine if and when to strike. Lt.-Gen Asif Yasin Malik, the main military commander for the northwest, said it would take at least six months to clear forces of Evil from Bajaur and Mohmand, two of Pakistain's seven semi-autonomous tribal agencies. "What we have to do is stabilise the whole area. I have a very large area in my command," he told news hounds on a trip to Orakzai agency. "The issue is I need more resources." There are already six brigades in North Wazoo which carry out daily operations, he said. Posted by: Fred 2010-10-27 |
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