 Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Sherpao has said that the government has “credible evidence” of foreign financing of militants in North Waziristan and Balochistan. “We have obtained credible evidence that a foreign hand is helping the miscreants in North Waziristan and Balochistan … the operation will continue till its logical end,” he told journalists after chairing a meeting on Tuesday about the operations in Miranshah, Mir Ali and other tribal areas.
| Somehow the thought of a "logical" end to anything in Pakland scares me. |
The interior minister, accompanied by Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah and National Crisis Management Cell Chairman Brig Javed Iqbal CheemaJaved Iqbal Cheema, vowed to continue the operation in the tribal areas until “foreign and local terrorists are flushed out”. The meeting was also attended by the NWFP inspector general of police and officials of various intelligence agencies.
| All the brass hats in one place, huh? Brilliant. |
Sherpao said that the writ of government will be established in the tribal areas “at any cost”.
| Does that include slaughtering holy men? |
He said that the meeting had agreed to deploy more Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel in the tribal areas. He said that additional check posts will also be established in North Waziristan. The safety of citizens in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu will be ensured, he said.
He confirmed the killing of around 50 militants in recent operations in Mir Ali and Miranshah.
| Fifty... a hundred... It was a whole bunch, we're sure... |
He said that six security forces personnel had died and 15 were injured. The minister said that after the initial departure of a few residents from the troubled areas, the political administration had moved to ensure calm.
| If you kill all the bad guys, and promise to kill any more that come, that'll ensure calm. |
He said that Afghanistan must cooperate with Pakistan in the war against terrorism instead of questioning its role. “Cooperation should not be unilateral,” he said.
| Except that the Afghan side of the border is notably freer of wild-eyed turbans than the Pak side... |
About the proposed fencing of the Pak-Afghan border or laying landmines along it, he said that fences and mines will not stop terrorist infiltration from Afghanistan.
| Maybe it won't stop it, but blowing a few feet off will inhibit it. |
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