From Newsweek:As Pakistan's new government pursues peace deals with Islamic militant leaders in tribal regions along the Afghanistan border, some U.S. counterterrorism officials fear their "worst nightmare" is unfolding: a scenario in which Al Qaeda leaders in the area will have more freedom than ever to recruit and train new members. But the Bush administration is internally divided about how best to approach the situation. U.S. officials say they are particularly alarmed by the new coalition government's negotiations with Baitullah Mehsud, a fierce tribal boss and Qaeda sympathizer based in South Waziristan province whom Pakistan's own government has accused of orchestrating the December 2007 assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. (Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, now heads her political party and is one of Pakistan's senior leaders.)
Read more ....
My Comment: As I have mentioned before on this blog, every time Pakistan has reached a peace agreement with al Qaeda and Taliban sympathisers in its border regions with Afghanistan, the violence in Afghanistan escalates. It is reassuring that after reading this Newsweek article that members of the U.S. intelligence community also see the same correlation.
An interesting article from the International Herald Tribune -- Pentagon Drops Post In Pakistan For Top General -- makes you wonder who is in charge of the American military.
No comments:
Post a Comment