From McClatchy Newspapers:
Islamabad, Pakistan — An ambush of a military convoy that killed 17 troops near the Afghan border Wednesday pushed the death toll in a series of attacks to at least 101 Pakistanis in the past five days — and brought President Pervez Musharraf, according to a local newspaper headline, to a "Moment of Truth."
The Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf rein in militants linked to al Qaida, on Wednesday threatened to launch attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit.
"We certainly do not rule out options, and we retain the option especially of striking actionable targets," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "But it is clearly of the utmost importance to go in there and deal with the problem in the tribal areas."
Facing domestic political pressure for staying in power while in uniform — he is also the nation's top general — Musharraf has relied heavily on the Bush administration as a source of political support. But with Washington now demanding that Musharraf use force in tribal areas, he is struggling to appear decisive while avoiding a civilian bloodbath or more military carnage.
Islamabad, Pakistan — An ambush of a military convoy that killed 17 troops near the Afghan border Wednesday pushed the death toll in a series of attacks to at least 101 Pakistanis in the past five days — and brought President Pervez Musharraf, according to a local newspaper headline, to a "Moment of Truth."
The Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf rein in militants linked to al Qaida, on Wednesday threatened to launch attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit.
"We certainly do not rule out options, and we retain the option especially of striking actionable targets," said White House spokesman Tony Snow. "But it is clearly of the utmost importance to go in there and deal with the problem in the tribal areas."
Facing domestic political pressure for staying in power while in uniform — he is also the nation's top general — Musharraf has relied heavily on the Bush administration as a source of political support. But with Washington now demanding that Musharraf use force in tribal areas, he is struggling to appear decisive while avoiding a civilian bloodbath or more military carnage.
2 comments:
One mess at a time please.
The President of Pakistan took the country with a coup d'état. It's about time someone did it to him. Look he allowed Bush/Cheney to get him to do as they say by threatening to bomb Pakistan. That country needs a President with a back bone who can stand up to the US drunk/druggie Bush. If Bush/Cheney had bothered to read they wouldn't be in the mess their in now. I guess education isn't all that important anymore as qualifications for President. Now you can buy your way in Office with a little cheating on the side and then put in the fixed voting machines and there you have it. Americans wont complain just say OH WELL.
Post a Comment