• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Pakistani PM: Next US President Should Stop Missile Attacks

By VOA News
04 November 2008

Pakistan's prime minister said the next U.S. president should stop missile attacks on insurgents in Pakistani territory, or risk losing the battle against extremism.

In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, Yousuf Raza Gilani said he issued the warning to a visiting U.S. general, but got no guarantee that the missile strikes will end.

U.S. Central Command chief, General David Petraeus, was in Islamabad Monday for talks with Mr. Gilani and other Pakistani leaders.

Pakistani authorities said U.S. unmanned aircraft have carried out repeated strikes on militant strongholds near Afghanistan in recent months, killing some top insurgents but also civilians.

Mr. Gilani said the attacks are driving Pakistani tribesmen to unite with the militants. He said the United States should trust Pakistan to pursue the insurgents itself and cooperate in the fight. Otherwise, he said, it is a "futile exercise."

Petraeus said after Monday's talks that he heard clear messages from Pakistani leaders that the U.S. will [in his words] "take on board."

He said he also raised U.S. concerns that some Pakistani intelligence agents are helping Taliban militants.

Petraeus took over last week as commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said last month that if U.S. forces have top al-Qaida members in their sights and if Pakistan is "unwilling or unable" to act, as president he would order unilateral strikes.

Obama had caused an uproar in Pakistan in January by suggesting that he would order strikes on al-Qaida targets in Pakistani territory if that country could not or would not act first.

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain has said U.S. leaders should not discuss potential strikes on Pakistan "out loud." He has said it is important to work with the Pakistani government to pursue al-Qaida.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.