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Report: Pakistan Army Chief Tells U.S. To Focus On Afghanistan

October 19, 2011

Pakistan's top military official has reportedly told parliament's defense committee that the United States should focus on stabilizing Afghanistan instead of pressuring Islamabad to act against militant groups.

General Ashfaq Kayani, Pakistan's powerful army chief, said Islamabad alone would decide if and when to launch a full-scale offensive in North Waziristan.

Western intelligence says the region is a sanctuary for militants who cross the border to attack U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Kayani also said the United States would have to think "10 times" before taking any unilateral action there.

Kayani's comments were reported to the media by an unnamed member of the committee.

Washington has stepped up the pressure on Pakistan to confront militants since U.S. special forces killed Osama bin Laden in May in a Pakistani garrison town where he had apparently been living for years.

compiled from agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan_army_chief_tells_us_to_focus_on_afghanistan/24364659.html

Copyright (c) 2011. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.