Islamabad denies foreign troops operating on its soil

Islamabad: Pakistan rejected the notion of any foreign troops operating on its soil, following a report yesterday in the New York Times claiming US commanders based in Afghanistan are pushing for Special Forces' raids on militant targets inside Pakistan territory.

Islamabad's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani said in a statement issued in Washington that Pakistani forces were capable of handling militant threat within the country's borders.

No foreign forces were allowed or required to operate inside Pakistan's sovereign territory, the ambassador said.

Haqqani said the US and Pakistani forces "understand each other's terms of engagement well and have a very high-level of cooperation as allies fighting a common enemy, along the Afghan border."

"We work with our allies, especially the US, and appreciate their material support but we will not accept foreign troops on our soil — a position that is well known," he said.

Enormous gains

He reminded critics of Pakistan's unmatched anti-terror efforts along the Afghan border, where the country has deployed well over 100,000 troops, Haqqani said, "We have made enormous gains and tremendous sacrifices in fighting terrorists over the last two years and will continue our efforts for our own security and that of the whole world."

He pointed out that Pakistani and US officials remain constantly in touch and "do not need anonymous source news reports to tell us about each others' thinking."

The ambassador cited the recent visit of US Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen, who during his trip "acknowledged Pakistan's contribution."

"Nothing discussed during his trip indicates the likelihood of ill-advised escalation or unilateral action by Nato troops beyond their mandate in Afghanistan," the envoy said.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US will "continue to work together to root out Al Qaida and other terrorists and bring stability and prosperity to our region," he added.

A senior official for the Nato-led forces in Afghanistan yesterday strongly denied a report in the New York Times that the United States was considering expanding Special Forces raids into Pakistan.

Tensions between the United States and Pakistan are already strained despite months of strategic dialogue aimed at upgrading the relationship — and billions of dollars in aid for development and relief from devastating floods.

Tougher action

Analysts said Washington might be using the suggestion to coax Pakistan into tougher action against Taliban militants in areas bordering Afghanistan. But any serious move to expand ground raids would boost tension, perhaps intolerably, and could be considered a "red line" for Pakistani authorities.

"There is absolutely no truth to reporting in the New York Times that US forces are planning to conduct ground operations into Pakistan," Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, Deputy Chief of Staff for Communication for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said in a statement from Kabul.

He said US troops and their Nato-led allies, along with Afghan forces, had "developed a strong working relationship with the Pakistan military to address shared security issues.

"This coordination recognises the sovereignty of Afghanistan and Pakistan to pursue insurgents and terrorists operating in their respective border areas."

Late on Monday, the New York Times reported that senior US military commanders in Afghanistan were seeking to expand Special Operations ground raids into Pakistan.

The proposal, as reported, would escalate military activities inside Pakistan and reflects growing frustration with Islamabad's efforts to root out militants in Pakistani tribal areas, the newspaper said, citing US officials in Washington and Afghanistan.

Tensions have already risen sharply. On Friday, the CIA station chief in Islamabad was recalled because he was named in a criminal case filed in a Pakistani court over deaths in the suspected US drone strike campaign against militants in the tribal areas.

— With inputs from agencies