ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday warned the United States that it would stop cooperating in the war against terrorism if the US-led NATO troops carried out cross border raids in the Tribal Areas.
US military officials told The New York Times that the commanders in Afghanistan had drawn up plans to attack Taliban and Al Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistani tribal regions.
According to this report, the US military reportedly pressed for permission to open a second front against militants by using Special Forces in cross border raids into Pakistan. One American officer was quoted as saying, “We have never been as close as we are now to getting the go-ahead.”
The appearance of the report led to fear and concern among the ruling circles in Islamabad that the war would no more be confined to Afghanistan, adding that it could be moved across the border into the Tribal Areas, a senior Pakistani official said while requesting anonymity.
He said although the report was denied by the NATO deputy chief of communications in Afghanistan, US Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, who said there was “absolutely no truth” in it “but we will still take up the matter with Washington as such reports are now appearing on a regular basis in leading US newspapers”.
“If any such thing happened and these raids from across the border took place, we will be left with no other choice but to end the alliance with Washington as for counter-terrorism efforts,” he said.
Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said there was no possibility that Pakistan would allow any such cross border raids. “The Pakistani government has drawn the red lines and any move to cross them will have serious consequences,” he said. ISPR Director General Major General Athar Abbas also ruled out any Pakistani permission to allow incursions by foreign troops into the Tribal Areas.
He said there was an understanding that only Pakistani forces would operate on their side of the Afghan border and no one from the other side would be allowed to carry out any operation or raids.
