US studies options for possible Pakistan raids

Washington: The US military is reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan in the event that a successful attack on American soil is traced to the country's tribal areas, according to senior military officials.

Ties between the alleged Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, and elements of the Pakistani Taliban have sharpened the Obama administration's need for retaliatory options, the officials said.

They stressed that a US reprisal would be contemplated only under extreme circumstances, such as a catastrophic attack that leaves President Barack Obama convinced that the ongoing campaign of CIA drone strikes is insufficient. "Planning has been reinvigorated in the wake of Times Square," an official said.

Intelligence ties

The administration is also trying to deepen ties to Pakistan's intelligence officials in a bid to head off attacks by militant groups.

The US and Pakistan have recently established a joint military intelligence centre on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, and are in negotiations to set up another one near Quetta, the Pakistani city where the Afghan Taliban is based, according to the US military officials. The "fusion centres" are meant to bolster Pakistani military operations by providing access to US intelligence.