US considering troops for Pakistan

US considering troops for Pakistan
Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:46:32 GMT
Talban in Pakistan
Military and intelligence officials have asked President George Bush to give American troops greater flexibility to pursue militants in Pakistan.

The Associated Press has learned of the radical shift in the counterterrorism strategy, as one way to deal with an ever-growing insurgent presence just over the border from Afghanistan.

The idea is to suppress the cross-border attacks into Afghan territory. According to an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the plan, it could include sending in special forces teams -- under CIA control to tribal areas to hit high-value targets.

Such a move would be extremely controversial, because Pakistan's military elite and political groupings of all stripes vehemently oppose US incursions into its territory as a violation of national sovereignty.

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

SG/HAR