Amidst growing fears of a unilateral American action against ‘terrorist sanctuaries’ in tribal areas, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen made an unscheduled visit to Islamabad on Saturday and met top military leadership of the country to persuade it to “act decisively” against Taliban and Al Qaeda militants suspected of mounting cross-border attacks in Afghanistan.
Sources said that the United States was “deeply frustrated” with Pakistan’s lack of ability or willingness, or both, to move decisively to end the rising infiltration by the Taliban militants into Afghanistan.
Recent reports in the Washington Post and New York Times claimed that the US administration was considering using direct military force to stop the infiltration and it may use commando forces, besides direct missile attacks, on militants’ targets.
“Admiral Mullen was here on a day’s visit and has already left,” US embassy spokesperson Kay Mayfield told Dawn, but would not say anything about his meetings.
During his brief stay, Admiral Mullen met the Chief of Army Staff, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Tariq Majeed, and discussed with them the latest situation in Afghanistan and joint efforts to deal with the challenge posed by terrorists in Fata.
Pakistan army spokesman Maj-Gen Athar Abbas would neither confirm nor deny the meeting, saying no meeting between Admiral Mullen and the Chief of the Army Staff was scheduled.
The sources said that Mullen conveyed to Pakistan military leaders the US government’s growing frustration over Pakistan’s ‘inaction’ against Taliban militants in tribal areas.
Admiral Mullen reiterated Washinton’s stance that these safe havens of the militants should be eliminated, emphasising that Pakistan’s peace deals with terrorists were not achieving the desired results of isolating them and were rather aggravating the problem.
The sources quoted Mullen as complaining that militants were moving across the border with greater liberty now than during the previous government. This was Mullen’s fourth visit to Islamabad this year. But, contrary to his previous visits, this visit was kept in low profile and no official announcement was made.
The United States, in a clear shift in its military strategy in Afghanistan, has stopped sharing information with Pakistan regarding action against terrorists in tribal areas.
During the meeting, Gen Kayani is reported to have protested at recent attacks in Angoor Adda and Mohmand Agency in which Pakistani troops were killed and injured.
The army chief recalled Pakistan’s sacrifices in the war on terror and pledged that Pakistan’s resolve against terrorism remained firm. The Chief of the Army Staff, the sources said, asked the US admiral to share actionable intelligence against terrorists with the Pakistan army.
Earlier this week, Mullen had told reporters in Kabul that Pakistan’s government needed to crack down on Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in Fata.
