DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S.-Pakistan Military Negotiations ‘Very Positive’ According Gen. John R. Allen

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: U.S.-Pakistan Military Negotiations ‘Very Positive’ According Gen. John R. Allen
Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Karen Parrish - American Forces Press Service
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - May 23, 2012: Military-to-military talks between the U.S. and Pakistan, which recently resumed after a lapse, are going well, the commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan said today.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, International Security Assistance Force commander, acknowledged during a Pentagon press briefing that the issue of reopening Pakistani ground supply routes to NATO is still unresolved. Pakistan closed the routes after a late-November 2011 cross-border attack by NATO forces near a border coordination center in Afghanistan’s Kunar province accidently killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.

“I have recently led a team to Islamabad to renew our conversation with the Pakistani military,” Allen said, noting the participants had “a very positive conversation about taking steps and measures necessary to prevent a recurrence of the events of 25 and 26 November.”

He said Lt. Gen. Shir Mohammad Karimi, general staff chief of operations for the Afghan National Army, also traveled to Islamabad for the two-day military talks with Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Pakistani army chief of staff.

“We committed ourselves to recurring meetings … with the idea of creating a constructive long-term relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Allen said.

Allen noted Pakistan has many challenges along its border with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s forces are also fighting an insurgency, he said, and they have taken more casualties in the last two years than the U.S. has in 10 years of combat in Afghanistan.

“Where we can find intersection of our interests, we should leverage those,” the general said. “And I think we're to the point where that conversation can occur.”

Since the ground supply routes through Pakistan into Afghanistan closed in November, Allen said, military cargo has moved through the northern distribution network, a set of logistic arrangements connecting Baltic and Caspian ports with Afghanistan via Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Immediately after Pakistan closed off the ground supple routes, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Transportation Command ramped up transport schedules to maintain the flow of supplies, Allen said.

“One of the great resources of the United States is the United States Air Force,” the Marine Corps general noted. The United States’ strategic logistics capabilities ensured the campaign and the supply chain supporting it continued uninterrupted, he added.

Supply stocks in Afghanistan are greater today than they were November 25, Allen said. At no point, he said, had gasoline dropped to less than a 30-day supply, the lowest level any supply stock had reached since the closure.

Allen noted the current routes are about twice as expensive and take more time than did supplies arriving through the ground route from Pakistan.

Allen emphasized he is not involved in government or policy discussions with Pakistan. But, he said, reestablishing communications among U.S., Pakistani and Afghan military leaders is “a very positive step” toward reopening supply routes.

“It is a negotiation, and negotiations take time, so I can't predict what the outcome will be and how soon that will be,” he said.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources By Karen Parrish - American Forces Press Service
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DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan's ISI Spy Agency Has 'Militant Links' Says Adm Mike Mullen

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: Pakistan's ISI Spy Agency Has 'Militant Links' Says Adm Mike Mullen

**Analysis - M Ilyas Khan BBC News Islamabad: The so-called Haqqani network is the most effective insurgent group operating in Afghanistan. Its leadership has been based in Pakistan's north-western Waziristan region since the late 1970s, and is believed to have maintained close contacts with the Pakistani security establishment. The network comprises fighters from south-eastern provinces of Afghanistan, and militant groups based in North and South Waziristan.

Pakistani military officials and defence analysts suggest that while the ISI did raise and fund Islamic militants during the 1980s and 1990s, they have since lost control over them.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources BBC News

(NSI News Source Info) - April 21, 2011:

The US military's top officer, Adm Mike Mullen, has accused Pakistan's spy agency of having links with militants targeting troops in Afghanistan.

He said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had a "long-standing relationship" with a militant group run by Afghan insurgent Jalaluddin Haqqani.

The comments came as he held talks in Islamabad on Wednesday. Pakistani officials are also in the US for talks.

Pakistan routinely rejects charges of collusion with militants.

The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that US officials have in the past spoken anonymously or in circumspect terms about associations between the Pakistani establishment and insurgents.

But that with this blunt statement Adm Mullen has for the first time claimed a clear link between the two, our correspondent says.

"It's fairly well known that the ISI has a long-standing relationship with the Haqqani network," Adm Mullen told Pakistan's Dawn newspaper.

"Haqqani is supporting, funding, training fighters that are killing Americans and killing coalition partners. And I have a sacred obligation to do all I can to make sure that doesn't happen."

'Negative propaganda'

But a senior Pakistani intelligence official told the Reuters news agency that the accusation was unfounded.

"If he means we're providing them with protection, with help, that's not correct," the official, who wished to remain unnamed, told Reuters.

A statement from Gen Kayani, released after their meeting, rejected what it termed as "negative propaganda of Pakistan not doing enough".

But the statement also said that the strategic relationship between the countries was important for their mutual security.

On Thursday Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir is scheduled to hold talks with US State Department officials in Washington, in what is being billed as an effort to improve relations.

He said the spy agency's support of the network remained at the "core ... and the most difficult part of the relationship" and that he would take it up with Pakistan's army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani.

US-Pakistan ties have struggled to recover following the row over CIA contractor Raymond Davis - who was arrested and later released after shooting dead two Pakistani men in Lahore. The case stoked anti-American feeling across Pakistan and led to angry demonstrations

Recent reports following a meeting between the heads of the countries' spy agencies in Washington, suggested that Pakistan had demanded certain restrictions to the CIA's activities in Pakistan.

Anti-US sentiment has also been exacerbated by US drone strikes targeting militants in the north-west of the country.

Drone anger

Anti-US feeling across Pakistan has escalated in recent months

US drone attacks have escalated in north-west Pakistan since President Barack Obama took office. But they are hugely unpopular with the Pakistani public. Many militants, some of them senior, have been killed in the raids, but hundreds of civilians have also died.

The US does not routinely confirm it is conducting drone operations in Pakistan, but analysts say only American forces have the capacity to deploy such aircraft in the region.

Analysts believe that Haqqani's insurgent network has been based in Pakistan since 2001, and that the ISI still exerts considerable influence over it.

The group has been blamed for some of the deadliest attacks on foreign troops across the border in Afghanistan.

Though the Pakistani military has routinely rejected any ties with the militants operating in Afghanistan, many analysts believe collaboration between the two is an open secret, our correspondent says.

Indeed analysts argue that Pakistan has always maintained links with some militant groups in order to try to influence events in neighbouring Afghanistan..

The timing of these remarks, our correspondent adds, suggests that the US is stepping up pressure on Pakistan to relinquish any links with Afghan militants ahead of the US forces' impending withdrawal from Afghanistan.

More on This Story

Taliban Conflict

• Facing the Taliban

• Can Afghan forces step up?

• Make-or-break year ahead

• Who are the Taliban?

• Pakistan's very unhappy new year

• Q&A: Fighting the Taliban

• Challenges for Afghan forces

Key maps

• Drone and militant attacks

• US and Nato deployments

• The militant nexus

Watch/Listen

• Challenges facing Kabul police Watch

Related Internet links

• Human Rights Commission of Pakistan

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources

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DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: US Commander In Pakistan For Talks

DTN News - PAKISTAN NEWS: US Commander In Pakistan For Talks

**Admiral Mike Mullen to meet with General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani as tensions run high between two countries.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Al Jazeera

(NSI News Source Info) - April 20, 2011:

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has arrived in Islamabad to conduct talks with Pakistan's army chief, as tensions continue to run high between the two countries regarding America's role in the region.

The admiral's trip on Wednesday comes after a visit to Afghanistan a day earlier, where he told reporters he would raise ongoing concerns regarding militancy in both Pakistan and Afghanistan with General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the Pakistani army chief.

US missile strikes on targets in Pakistan's tribal areas have stoked anti-American sentiment in the country [EPA]

In a statement, Mullen praised cooperation between US and Pakistani troops working in joint operations against fighters belonging to the Haqqani network, who target NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan.

He did acknowledge, however, that there were also a "strain" due to Taliban and other fighters' alleged ties with Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

"Haqqani is having a much more difficult time now," Mullen told reporters, according to an article on the Joint Chiefs of Staff website.

"All that said, we're still working through the [Pakistani] military support, the way through the relationships the [Pakistani intelligence agency] has with the Haqqani network, and the strain that creates."

"I'll see General Kayani here shortly and these are issues I address with him every single time we engage. And I certainly intend to [raise that] this week."

Tensions running high

The JSC chief's trip to Pakistan is the latest in a series of high-level meetings that have followed the fatal shooting in January of two Pakistanis by Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor, who said he was acting in self-defence.

Davis was later freed on the payment of compensation to the victims' families, but the case ignited a row over intelligence sharing, with the ISI demanding that the American CIA provide more complete data about its operatives and their activities in the country.

Tensions were also raised over the long-running issue of the US's drone strikes on targets in Pakistan's tribal areas.

Pakistan is a key ally of the US in the war in Afghanistan, and receives billions of dollars in military and civilian aid from the country.

The covert drone-launched missile strikes that target fighters in Pakistan's lawless border areas, however, stoke anti-American sentiment amongst the populace, even though it is widely believed that the strikes occur with the tacit consent of Islamabad.

Publically, Pakistan's leaders have insisted that the drone strikes stop and that the US share the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology with Pakistan so that it can take operational control of them, but US officials say operations will continue in order to achieve US security objectives.

Pakistan has also asked the US to slash the number of CIA agents operating in the country.

During Mullen's visit to Forward Operating Base Salerno in Afghanistan on Tuesday, he acknowledged that the Taliban have grown in strength in recent years, and that the upcoming fighting season could be difficult for the US-led coalition.

"We're going to have a very tough year this year," he told reporters. "I've been very straight with the American people on that. I think our losses, which were significant last year, will be significant this year as well."

He also said that the US relationship with Pakistan remains vital for both countries, and that while it was going through a "very turbulent time ... I think that all of us believe that we cannot afford to let this relationship come apart".

Zafar Jaspal, an Islamabad-based security analyst, told Al Jazeera that it was unlikely that Mullen's trip would do much to ease the tension, as most of Pakistan's objections are related to CIA activities in the country, and he does not have command of that agency.

"There is a lot of mistrust in this relationship, which the United States and Pakistan want to overcome, but at the same time ... though both sides have been working a lot, but still the rapprochement approach is not giving us an optimistic picture or outlook," he said.

"Their interdependency is too [high], especially in the context of political and security instability in Afghanistan, and at the same time Pakistan is getting some assistance from the United States. But if you recall, [on Monday] Pakistan's finance minister [Abdul Hafeez Shaikh] said that we are not getting as much as is expected, or generally people think."

Jaspal said that the US has been pushing Pakistan to take on Haqqani group fighters and suspected al-Qaeda sanctuaries in North Waziristan, but the Pakistani government has responded in the negative, citing a lack of resources.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Al Jazeera

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DTN News: Pakistan TODAY December 6, 2009 ~ Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Chief’s Aide Captured In Hangu

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY December 6, 2009 ~ Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Chief’s Aide Captured In Hangu *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) KOHAT, Pakistan - December 6, 2009:Maulvi Rafiuddin, a ‘commander’ of militants and key aide to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan chief, was among seven militants who were captured in Hangu on Saturday.In this photo taken on Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, Taliban commander Baz Mohammed, center, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press at his headquarters in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan. Mohammed, a commander in a pro-government militia, is supported by the government as both share a common enemy, the Pakistan Taliban serving under the replacement of their chief Baitullah Mehshud, killed during a CIA missile strike last month. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was also seized by security forces during the operations. Maulvi Rafiuddin was caught last year along with five accomplices but had to be swapped with 10 government officials whom militants had kidnapped in sharp reaction to his arrest.More than 60 government servants, including 35 police recruits, were kidnapped by militants in separate incidents. Soldiers carry the flag-draped casket of Major General Umer Bilal, one of 40 who were killed in an attack on a mosque near the military headquarters a day earlier, before his funeral in Rawalpindi December 5, 2009. Pakistani officials on Saturday mourned those killed near the country's military headquarters in an attack that raised questions over how militants penetrated the security of the regional nuclear power. As Pakistan battles Taliban insurgents who have responded to offensives with bombings that have killed hundreds since October, it also faces U.S. pressure to root out militants who cross the border to fight Western troops in Afghanistan. Seven of the hostages were beheaded to put pressure on authorities for the release of Maulana Rafiuddin and his accomplices. The militants then had also laid siege to the Doaba police station and gunned down 12 personnel of Frontier Constabulary. The other militant arrested along with Maulvi Rafiuddin on Saturday was ‘commander’ Haji Gulzar who ran camps astride Hangu’s borders with Orakzai Agency and Kurram Agency. Maulvi Rafiuddin and Haji Gulzar were arrested at a military checkpoint in Spin Thall area when they were going to North Waziristan Agency carrying a huge quantity of heavy and small weapons. Officials termed their arrest a big triumph. Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani (3rd R), army chief Ashfaq Kiyani (3rd L), chairman joint chief of staff committee Tariq Majeed (2nd R) and Interior Minister Rehman Malik with other relatives attend a funeral prayer of three out of the 40 people who were killed in an attack on a mosque near the military headquarters in Rawalpindi December 5, 2009. Pakistani officials on Saturday mourned those killed near the country's military headquarters in an attack that raised questions over how militants penetrated the security of the regional nuclear power. As Pakistan battles Taliban insurgents who have responded to offensives with bombings that have killed hundreds since October, it also faces U.S. pressure to root out militants who cross the border to fight Western troops in Afghanistan. Maulvi Rafiuddin and Haji Gulzar used to send militants on suicide missions and plant explosive devices at the Kohat-Parachinar highway which is frequently used by troops. They also masterminded several attacks on the families of police officials who took action against them. The officials said that a third important TTP leader, Aziz, and four other militants were arrested in Shahu Khel area of the Hangu district. The area was retaken by security forces a fortnight ago after a week-long battle with militants.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY December 5, 2009 ~ ‘Acts Of Cowardice Will Not Deter Our Anti-Terror Resolve’

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY December 5, 2009 ~ ‘Acts Of Cowardice Will Not Deter Our Anti-Terror Resolve’ *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - December 5, 2009: Funeral prayers for high-ranking officers, including Major-General Bilal Omar, who died in yesterday's Parade Land mosque attack, were held at the Chaklala garrison on Saturday. Soldiers take position outside a besieged mosque in Rawalpindi on December 4, 2009. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani attended the funeral prayers. Pakistani armed police officers deploy at the near the site of a suicide attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009. A Taliban suicide squad targeted Pakistani military officers and their families praying at a mosque close to army headquarters in a gruesome display of the militants' ability to strike at the center of power in the U.S.-allied, nuclear-armed nation. General Kayani said acts of cowardice will not dent the resolve of the armed forces and the nation to fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, funeral prayers for three of the victims of yesterday's mosque attack were held at the Racecourse ground in Rawalpindi. Pakistan's army troops stand guard at the site of Friday's suicide attack, covered with tent, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A Taliban suicide squad targeted Pakistani military officers and their families praying at a mosque close to army headquarters in a gruesome display of the militants' ability to strike at the center of power in the U.S.-allied, nuclear-armed nation. Security was tightened in and around the ground with the military police, Punjab police and Rangers performing the task. Meanwhile, special traffic arrangements were made at the funeral services held in the Westridge-I area of Rawalpindi. A Pakistan's army soldier stops a motorcyclist for checking at the entrance near the site of Friday's suicide attack, covered with tent, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. A Taliban suicide squad targeted Pakistani military officers and their families praying at a mosque close to army headquarters in a gruesome display of the militants' ability to strike at the center of power in the U.S.-allied, nuclear-armed nation. Relatives of the victims as well as high-ranking officers from the armed forces attended the services. The Peshawar Road area was also put on high alert and cordoned off as intelligence personnel and the military police conducted investigations into yesterday's attacks.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY October 20, 2009 ~ As Pakistan Makes Gains, Resistance From Taliban

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY October 20, 2009 ~ As Pakistan Makes Gains, Resistance From Taliban

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - October 20, 2009: The Pakistani Army said Monday that it was progressing in its push into the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan, but it acknowledged that it was meeting strong resistance. Soldiers patrol near a check post along the road leading from South Waziristan to Dera Ismail Khan, located in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province October 19, 2009. Pakistani forces backed by artillery attacked Taliban insurgents on Monday as the army moved to wrest control of militant strongholds in a lawless region on the Afghan border. The fighting is a new test of the government's determination to tackle an increasingly brazen insurgency that has seen a string of attacks in different parts of the country, including an assault on army headquarters, in which more than 150 people were killed.* The military began the much anticipated offensive against Taliban militants over the weekend, with about 28,000 troops backed by artillery and fighter jets moving into the region from three directions. After three days of fighting, army troops had taken control of important tactical heights overlooking the town of Kotkai, which is the home of Qari Hussain, a Taliban commander notorious for training suicide bombers, said Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, the army spokesman, at a briefing here. And on Tuesday, Reuters, quoted unnamed security officials as saying the Pakistani forces had captured Kotkai. In the past 24 hours, 18 militants were killed while two soldiers died in clashes, General Abbas said. Twelve soldiers were wounded. It is difficult to confirm the official figures because no journalists are accompanying the troops, and the area is considered too dangerous for foreign or local journalists to visit independently. While emphasizing that the military was achieving its targets ahead of schedule, General Abbas did acknowledge that Taliban militants — whose numbers he estimated to be 5,000 to 10,000, along with 1,000 foreigners — were putting up stiff resistance. Troops managed to secure the northern Sherwangi area after an intense battle. “After heavy fighting, a number of terrorists were killed and their positions captured,” General Abbas said. Security forces were consolidating their positions in the south and southwest of the town of Razmak, he said. Pakistani Air Force fighter jets continued to strike militants’ positions, officials said, and several ammunition depots set up inside caves in the Makeen and Ladha areas were destroyed. Meanwhile, local residents continued to trickle out as heavy fighting raged. A statement issued by the United Nations estimated that more than 170,000 people would be displaced as a result of the military operation, which started Saturday. However, Pakistani officials said that they did not expect a humanitarian crisis to erupt as a result of the offensive. Qamar Zaman Kaira, Pakistan’s information minister, said that 14,500 families had registered with the government and were provided with immediate food assistance. In an effort to win the support of the Mehsud tribe members, who inhabit most parts of the South Waziristan region and form the bulk of the foot soldiers of the Taliban movement, Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Pakistan’s army chief, sent a message to local residents in the form of leaflets, which were dropped from the air. General Kayani expressed hope that the tribes would stand by the army, according to the letter written in Urdu, the national language, and Pashto, the language of the Pashtun tribes.

Related Headline News....for full stories click on the links below

~ Pakistan army chief asks tribe to back offensive The Associated Press

DTN News: France To Provide Pakistan With Tiger Combat Helicopters To Fight Militants

DTN News: France To Provide Pakistan With Tiger Combat Helicopters To Fight Militants

*Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - July 3, 2009: France will provide Tiger combat helicopters and military equipment to Pakistan to enhance its capacity to fight terrorism.

Admiral Edouard Guillaud, Advisor to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and other French officials meet President Asif Ali Zardari at the Presidency.

This was stated by Admiral Edouard Guillaud, Military Personal Staff Adviser to French President, during a series of meetings he held here on Thursday with top political and military leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Tariq Majid and Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. Official sources said that helicopters to be provided by France would be equipped with ground-to-ground missiles with semi-active laser seekers with a range of over 8km. The multi-role helicopters have modern avionics and radars and can be equipped with anti-tank missiles. Admiral Guillaud commended Pakistan’s determination and resolute action to clear its soil of terrorists and eliminate extremism. French Army ordered 80 aircraft - 40 HAP and 40 HAD (HAD variant to be delivered starting in 2012). As of mid-2009 some 20 HAP had been delivered of which 3 or 4 are expected to be deployed to Afghanistan later in the year. An official of the French embassy said the visit of the delegation led by Admiral Guillaud was a follow-up to French visits by President Asif Ali Zardari and Army Chief Gen Kayani. ‘The fight against terrorism is a key matter of concern for the international community. Within the framework of our common goal to fight terrorism, this visit aims at strengthening our bilateral cooperation in the field of defence and security,’ he said. He said France’s objective was to offer political and military cooperation and support to Pakistani authorities and strengthen their fight against terrorism and extremism. ‘France wishes to contribute to regional security and stability through reinforced dialogue on these matters.’ During the delegation’s meeting with President Zardari, the two sides decided to extend ties, especially in the field of defence, and the use of civilian nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. President’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that matters relating to Pak-France cooperation in different areas, the Friends of Pakistan initiative, rehabilitation of internally-displaced people and fight against militants were discussed at the meeting. During his meeting with the delegation, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called for a roadmap for pragmatic cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy. He proposed establishment of a working group to work out a plan for nuclear cooperation. Referring to the army operation against militants in Malakand division and tribal areas, the prime minister urged France and other countries to support Pakistan by providing military equipment and assistance to effectively deal with terrorists. The prime minister warned against the possibility of militants crossing over into the Pakistani territory, particularly in Balochistan, in the wake of enhanced deployment of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. The prime minister thanked France for the assistance it pledged at the Democratic Friends of Pakistan meeting in Tokyo for the displaced people of NWFP and said that Pakistan was looking forward to the visit of President Sarkozy when frameworks on defence and security and counter-terrorism and on economic and energy cooperation would be signed. Admiral Guillaud said he hoped the two sides would make progress in the field of trade and economy and in civilian nuclear energy cooperation during visit of French Secretary of State for Foreign Trades to Pakistan on July 20. Admiral Guillaud also called on Gen Tariq Majid, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), at the Joint Staff Headquarters. Both leaders exchanged views on regional situation and discussed possible areas of expansion of defence and security cooperation. Gen Majid thanked the government of France for its political support to Pakistan, approval of 12 million euros as initial humanitarian aid for displaced people of Swat and affirmation of assistance for capacity building of Pakistan forces. Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani held separate meetings at the General Headquarters with Admiral Guillaud and Gen Stanley McChrystal, Commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in Afghanistan.

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY June 26, 2009 - Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani Vows To Reassert Control In FATA Region Tribal Belt

DTN News: Pakistan TODAY June 26, 2009 - Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani Vows To Reassert Control In FATA Region Tribal Belt

*Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - June 26, 2009: Pakistan's army chief on Thursday vowed to reassert government control in the lawless tribal belt, as the premier took a visiting US security advisor to task over deadly drone attacks in the region. Pakistani Army Chief, General Ashfaq Kayani meets with a soldier during his visit to South Waziristan. Pakistan's army chief on Thursday vowed to reassert government control in the lawless tribal belt, as the premier took a visiting US security advisor to task over deadly drone attacks in the region. The army is wrapping up a two-month-long operation against Taliban rebels in northwest Swat valley, and preparing to launch a second front against militant chief Baitullah Mehsud and his network in tribal regions. Washington alleges Al-Qaeda operatives who fled Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion are holed up in South Waziristan, plotting attacks on Western targets, while the Taliban control swathes of the mountainous area. A military statement said General Ashfaq Kayani spent the day in semi-autonomous South Waziristan on the Afghan border, where he met troops and commanders and held prayers for soldiers killed in fighting. "(Kayani) stated that Pakistan army is executing a deliberate 'campaign plan' to achieve the desired end state of re-establishing the writ of the state while ensuring minimum loss to life and damage to property," it said. "He appreciated the support of local tribes and urged them to use their full influence to rid the area of terrorists," it added. South Waziristan is the stronghold of Mehsud, and Pakistani fighter jets have been pounding Taliban positions in the region for weeks, although it is unclear when a full offensive involving ground troops will begin. On Tuesday, two US drone strikes in South Waziristan reportedly killed about 50 people as suspected Taliban militants gathered for a funeral, military and administration officials have said. Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday told Washington's visiting top security adviser James Jones that the United States must halt the string of drone attacks on its soil. Jones was in Islamabad as part of a short regional tour that has already taken in Afghanistan to assess the United States' new strategy in the region. A Pakistani security officer stands on the rubble of houses destroyed during a military operation against Taliban militants in Sultanwas village in Buner district on June 19, 2009. Pakistani security forces launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from three northwest districts around Swat valley in late April, after militants flouted a peace deal and thrust towards the capital Islamabad. The Barack Obama administration has put Pakistan at the heart of a strategy to tackle Al-Qaeda and other extremists. Gilani "called for stopping the drone attacks in order to ensure success of Pakistan's strategy for isolating the militants from the tribes," a statement issued from his office said. Analysts, however, speculate that the Pakistani government may give complicit backing to the strikes by unmanned US drones, but loudly denounce the deeply-unpopular attacks in public. Jones, who also met President Asif Ali Zardari and Kayani, in a statement made no mention of any rift over the use of drones. "Together, the US and Pakistan are enhancing border cooperation, trade, energy and economic development to help Pakistanis face the challenges posed by extremists," Jones said in a statement from the US embassy in Islamabad. "Terrorism is not simply the enemy of America -- it is a direct and urgent threat to the Pakistani people." US officials have voiced strong support for a Pakistani military offensive to clear Taliban militants from swathes of the northwest. In its daily update, the army said forces were carrying out mopping-up operations in Swat valley. But UN officials urged authorities to ensure the conflict zone is secure before millions of displaced people return home. About two million people have fled a punishing ground and air assault against Taliban fighters in and around Swat valley, which began in late April after insurgents advanced towards Islamabad. "It's very important that IDPs (internally displaced persons) who come back have an appropriate set of conditions including security, safety, food, water, education, sanitation," said UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Mogwanja. "We're concerned about security. We have to assess the situation not only on the main roads but also in villages," he told reporters. Also Thursday, militants blew up a girls' school just outside South Waziristan's main town of Wana. Local officials said no one died but the explosion completely destroyed the school building in the latest of hundreds of attacks on northwest schools by militants trying to impose a harsh brand of Islamic law.

DTN News: Germany Is Poised to Sell Submarines to Pakistan

DTN News: Germany Is Poised to Sell Submarines to Pakistan *Sources: DTN News / Int'l Media *Analysis: Amazing and unbelievable for Germans are facing is how sensible it is to sell Pakistan high tech weapons when Pakistan is surviving on international aid and loan waviers. At the same time millions of people who are displaced in NWFP and the government can hardly maintain the cost! *DTN News: Pakistan Wants US To Write Off $1.35 Billion Loan....June 6, 2009 (Click here) *DTN News: Pakistan Asks World To Write Off All Loans Since 2005....June 4, 2009 (Click here) *DTN News: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Urges World To Fulfil Aid Pledges Of Half A Billion Dollars To Pakistan....May 30, 2009 (Click here) (NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - June 21, 2009: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition will probably go ahead with the sale of three submarines to Pakistan, ignoring opposition concerns about the delivery of military hardware to the nuclear-armed state, two German government officials said. The Pakistan Navy is reportedly negotiating for the purchase of 3 Type 214 submarines, all of which to be built in Pakistan. During the IDEAS 2008 exhibition, the HDW chief Walter Freitag told “The commercial contract has been finalised up to 95 per cent,” he said. The first submarine would be delivered to the Pakistan Navy in 64 months after signing of the contract while the rest would be completed successively in 12 months. The Federal Security Council, a body made up of ministers that vets all military hardware sales, is prepared to back the sale of the Class 214 submarines made by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems AG, the officials said on condition of anonymity because the decision is not yet final. A Pakistani delegation including army chief Ashfaq Parvez Kayani is in Berlin today for meetings with German officials. Opposition lawmakers are wary of sales to Pakistan as it struggles with Islamist radicals along the border with neighboring Afghanistan. “We have to ask ourselves whether such an unstable country really needs such submarine technology,” said Alexander Bonde, a Green Party lawmaker leading opposition to the sale in the lower house of parliament in Berlin. Bonde said a final decision will probably be made after German national elections Sept. 27. Taliban Offensive Pakistan has struggled in a seven-week campaign to push back radicals after Taliban fighters advanced to within 100 kilometers (60 miles) of the capital, Islamabad. The army is preparing to mount an offensive in South Waziristan to drive out militants from its northwest tribal areas. A Pakistani delegation visited Berlin several weeks ago to express interest in the submarines, said Muhammad Azam, a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Berlin. No official orders have yet been tendered, he said. A preliminary inquiry from Pakistan has been “positively assessed” by the German government, though no official request yet been processed, Economy Ministry spokesman Steffen Moritz said in a phone interview. Andrea Wessel, a spokeswoman for ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, a unit of Dusseldorf-based ThyssenKrupp AG, said the company wouldn’t comment on “ongoing projects.” “Pakistan’s interest in these submarines shows it still sees India as the traditional enemy, even though bilateral tensions have eased somewhat since 2004,” Christian Wagner, an analyst at the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, said in an interview. “The money would be better spent on equipping and training its land forces to combat terrorist insurgents.” The 65-meter (213-foot) submarines, non-nuclear vessels equipped with eight torpedo tubes, rely on a fuel-cell system to remain silent beneath the water for longer periods than previous models. ThyssenKrupp describes the vessels as having “extraordinarily developed stealth characteristics and an impressive weapon and sensor payload.”

Pakistan Army Has Finally Awoken From Its Slumber And May Make A Move Against Taliban

Pakistan Army Has Finally Awoken From Its Slumber And May Make A Move Against Taliban

(NSI News Source Info) April 25, 2009: WITH districts around Swat seemingly falling like ninepins, the state has been shockingly ambivalent about it plans to restore its writ in northern Pakistan.

But yesterday it appeared that the Pakistan Army has finally awoken from its slumber. The message from the chief himself, Gen Kayani: the militants will not be allowed to run amok and order will be restored.

Pakistani Taliban members hold their weapons as they gather before leaving Buner, northwestern Pakistan on Friday, April 24, 2009. Taliban militants who had seized a district just 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Pakistan's capital began pulling out Friday after the government warned it would use force to evict them. The withdrawal from Buner, if completed, eliminates the most immediate threat to a peace agreement in the neighboring militant-held Swat Valley that the U.S. government worries has created a haven for allies of al-Qaida.

So far the army’s wait-and-watch policy in Malakand division has had dangerous consequences. Buner is now in the militants’ hands and IDPs are pouring into neighbouring districts, especially Swabi, Mardan and Haripur. Meanwhile, Shangla has been penetrated by the militants and Swabi and Mardan are the next likely targets.

Shrewdly taking advantage of the cessation in hostilities in the valley, militants from Swat fanned out into neighbouring areas, expanding the theatre in which they will have to be taken on and ensuring that an even messier fight lies ahead. Why has the army waited? It claims the ‘operational pause’ was meant to give a chance to the forces of reconciliation and not as a concession to the militants. Now that the army has sensed the panic among the people and seen the militants’ determination to expand their territorial control, it has pledged to achieve ‘victory’ against terrorism and militancy ‘at all costs.’

We hope this resolve will not melt in the days ahead. But two points regarding the overall war against militancy need to be flagged. One, the army has been particularly agitated by the recent spate of foreign comments that Pakistan is on the verge of collapse and that the army is unwilling or unable to defeat militancy.

Gen Kayani’s forceful statement that the army ‘never has and never will hesitate to sacrifice, whatever it may take, to ensure [the] safety and well-being’ of Pakistan’s people and its territorial integrity should be noted in foreign capitals.

Whatever the suspicions, the Pakistan Army is an indispensable element in any successful strategy against militancy in Pakistan and the region generally, and riling the army high command to score a few public points cannot be part of a sound strategy. The second point concerns the political component here in Pakistan. While the Pakistan Army isn’t under the full control of the civilians, it has made it clear that it will only fight when there is a political consensus for it to do so.

Thus far the politicians have been woefully divided; whether the dissenters blame America as the root cause of militancy or harp on about fuzzy ideas of dialogue, they have not been able to unite on the need to take on the militants militarily.

That discord may finally be changing. The PML-N, the PML-Q and the religious parties have voiced concerns about militants on the march, while the MQM has come out as the foremost critic of the peace deal in Swat. It is not clear yet whether they will support the military option, but the army cannot fail to note that the politicians are at last beginning to agree on the seriousness of the threat of militancy.