Beleaguered Pakistani strongman and notional president, Pervez Musharraf, told Singapore's Straits Times, that American forces would be considered "invaders" if they entered Pakistan to hunt down al-Qaida militants.
"Pakistan is under growing U.S. pressure to crack down on militants in its tribal regions close to the Afghan border.
The rugged area has long been considered a likely hiding place for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden as well as an operating ground for Taliban militants planning attacks on coalition forces in Afghanistan.
The New York Times reported last week that Washington was considering expanding the authority of the CIA and the military to launch covert operations within the tribal regions.
Several U.S. presidential candidates have also hinted they would support unilateral action in the area.
Musharraf told The Straits Times U.S. troops would "certainly" be considered invaders if they set foot in the tribal regions.
"If they come without our permission, that's against the sovereignty of Pakistan. I challenge anybody coming into our mountains. They would regret that day," he said in the interview. "
The US has suffered a great loss of support among the Pakistani people and it's believed that any intrusion by American forces into Pakistan would only increase support for extremism and undercut Pakistan's moderate political parties.
No comments:
Post a Comment