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U.S. persists with attacks despite Pakistani protests

ISLAMABAD: Despite the strongest of signals from the Pakistan Army to the United States that unilateral attacks inside Pakistani territory were not on, Friday saw yet another suspected missile strike in the tribal region bordering Afghanistan.

Pakistani media reported at least 12 people were killed in the attack near the North Waziristan town of Miranshah. The identities of the dead are unclear. Some reports said several women and children died in the strike, while others said most of the dead were militants.

Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Wednesday the rules of engagement with the coalition forces in Afghanistan were “well defined” and the right to conduct operations against the militants “inside own territory is solely the responsibility of the respective armed forces”.

He said there was “no question of any agreement or understanding with the Coalition Forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border”.

Military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas told television channels that the Army would “retaliate” against any action by foreign troops inside Pakistan.

But the latest strike in North Waziristan suggests that the U.S. could not care less. The target of the pre-dawn strike, suspected to have been carried out by a U.S. drone, was reportedly a commander of a group called Al Badr Mujahideen. It is not clear if he died in the attack.

The Pakistan Army’s corps commanders ended their two-day meet on Friday on a strong note of support for General Kayani, but also sought to dispel an impression that gained ground after his remarks that he had tried to pre-empt the democratic government.

General Kayani’s outburst forced Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to follow up on Thursday with a statement that the government had the same viewpoint. Foreign and Defence Ministers have also rushed to reiterate that the General had voiced the government’s views.

An Inter-Services Public Relations press note issued at the end of the meeting said the Chief of Army Staff told the participants that “all elements of the national power under the new democratic leadership will safeguard the territorial integrity of Pakistan with full support and backing of the people of Pakistan”.

According to the statement, participants were given “a comprehensive briefing on the prevailing geo-strategic environment and the recent strategic engagements with major stake holders regarding peace and security in the region and beyond”.

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