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India-Pakistan
US plans Fata offensive
2008-08-10
Top Bush administration officials are urging the President to direct US troops in Afghanistan to be more aggressive in pursuing militants into Pakistan on foot as part of a proposed radical shift in its regional counter-terrorism strategy, reports ABC News quoting an American news agency.

Senior intelligence and military aides want President Bush to give American soldiers greater flexibility to operate against Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters who cross the border from Pakistan's lawless tribal border area to conduct attacks inside Afghanistan, officials say.

The plan could include sending US special forces teams, temporarily assigned to the CIA, into the tribal areas to hit high-value targets, according to an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the plan.

Such a move would be controversial, in part because of Pakistani opposition to US incursions into its territory, and the proposal is not universally supported in Washington. It comes amid growing political instability in Pakistan and concerns that elements of Pakistan's security forces are collaborating with extremists.

Senior members of Bush's national security team met last week at the White House to discuss the recommendations and are now weighing how to proceed, the officials said.

The top agenda item at the meeting of the so-called deputies committee - usually the No 2 officials at the departments of Defence, and State, plus the intelligence agencies and the National Security Council - was to 'review and potentially revise cross-border strategy', a person familiar with the session told the news agency.

"What the deputies committee has raised is, given the possibility that political fragmentation in Pakistan is going to continue, do we need to change our strategy?" the official said. He and other current and former officials spoke on condition of anonymity because sensitive foreign policy matters are in play.

The deputies committee is two levels down from the president, so its recommendations would not immediately affect policy. White House spokesman Tony Fratto declined to comment.

In Washington, the State Department and some Pentagon officials are leery of the new proposal, warning of repercussions from the Pakistani government, which they fear could be further destabilised, while some officials in the CIA are pushing the plan.

Officials closer to the frontlines in Afghanistan also are pushing for a newly aggressive stance. The rules currently limiting US incursions into Pakistan when in hot pursuit of enemy fighters or targets would not be stretched under the plan. But US forces would be encouraged to use that authority liberally.
Posted by:Fred

#1  Supposedly the CIA people based in Pakistani army cantonments are extremely frustrated because even when they can get the locals to listen to the information they've gathered, it's like pulling teeth to get them even to pretend to act on it. If they can dump the information on U.S. Special Forces for action instead... Happy hunting!
Posted by: trailing wife    2008-08-10 11:26  

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