US threatens airstrikes in Pakistan

The United States is threatening to launch airstrikes on Mullah Omar and the Taliban leadership in the Pakistani city of Quetta as frustration mounts about the ease with which they find sanctuary across the border from Afghanistan.

The threat comes amid growing divisions in Washington about whether to deal with the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan by sending more troops or by reducing them and targeting the terrorists.

This weekend the US military was expected to send a request to Robert Gates, the defence secretary, for more troops, as urged by General Stanley McChrystal, the US commander there.

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Posted in * Economics, Politics, * International News & Commentary, Asia, Defense, National Security, Military, Foreign Relations, Pakistan, War in Afghanistan

One comment on “US threatens airstrikes in Pakistan

  1. Sick & Tired of Nuance says:

    Portions of the border inside Afghanistan could be declared “free fire zones”, marked as such with signage, and designated as such by barbed wire barriers to prevent accidental incursion by children or livestock. Then, either mines and/or roving robotic weapon systems patrolling the area could effectively prevent illegal cross border incursions.

    Sniper teams could be deployed along the border to impede cross border attacks.

    There are many viable military solutions that I think would be more effective in dealing with the enemy, less destructive to innocent civilians, and less damaging politically.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster-Miller_TALON