Pakistan army chief criticizes U.S. cross-border raid

Thursday 11th September, 09:17 AM JST

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11 Comments

adaydream at 11:15 PM JST - 11th September

Whether it's george bush, John McCain or Barack Obama; Pakistan is not going to put up with cross border raids by the United States.

There is nothing that gives the United States permission to attack anybody in Pakistan. We don't have an agreement and just because the U. S. intellegence services (which have proven their unreliability) says that there are terrorist at (X) marks the spot, we can't just attack.

I agree with Pakistan's criticism. < :-)
SuperLib at 11:25 PM JST - 11th September

Pakistan is not going to put up with cross border raids by the United States.

They have no choice but to put up with it. They don't even control the region themselves.
usaexpat at 11:49 PM JST - 11th September

Well if the Pakistani army could stop the Taliban from re-grouping in the tribal areas than the US wouldn't need to launch air strikes and cross border raids. This guy needs to wake up and understand that these jihadis are a threat to Pakistan's existence as well as ours. SuperLib you are correct, Pakistan doesn't have control over these areas and that's the whole problem.
SezWho2 at 06:46 AM JST - 12th September

It's true that Pakistan doesn't control the region. It's not true that Pakistan has no choice. It has a wide range of choices beginning with withdrawal of cooperation, moving on up to diplomatic or UN protest and following that with interference or resistance.

That being said, the choice is not General Kayani's although he can, independently, arrange for less spirited cooperation. The real choice will be made in Islamabad and it will be made according to the new government's political calculations of its overall interests, including things like the US-India nuclear deal which are not even directly related to terrorism. Unilateral US attacks on Waziristan put an internal pressure on Islamabad and that pressure may not coincide with US interests.

To say that Pakistan has no choice is to say that the US can do whatever it wants and that Pakistan can like it or lump it. That in turn betrays an arrogance that we can ill-afford when we are operating far from home and fighting an enemy which is ideological and not geographical.
Alinsky4prez at 06:52 AM JST - 12th September

To say that Pakistan has no choice is to say that the US can do whatever it wants and that Pakistan can like it or lump it. That in turn betrays an arrogance that we can ill-afford when we are operating far from home and fighting an enemy which is ideological and not geographical.

Ill-afforded arrogance in operation far from home is ALWAYS problematical.

The Taliban's humility and respect for national sovereignty really inspires, doesn't it?
OgieDoggie at 07:07 AM JST - 12th September

There is nothing that gives the United States permission to attack anybody in Pakistan. -adaydream

OK adaydream just how is Pakistan going to stop us??? I would say Bomb them back to the STONEAGE but we can't because they are both still there!
SezWho2 at 08:35 AM JST - 12th September

Alinsky4prez,

You are comparing the Taliban's humility and respect for national sovereignty to...? the US's? the northern war-lords'? And the point of your comparison would be...? that there are things worse than US intervention? that the Taliban do not enjoy popular support over all areas of Afghanistan? If your goal is to avoid discussion, a snarky question will almost always succeed.
SuperLib at 01:00 PM JST - 12th September

It has a wide range of choices beginning with withdrawal of cooperation, moving on up to diplomatic or UN protest and following that with interference or resistance.

Yeah. Good luck with that.
SezWho2 at 03:54 PM JST - 12th September

SuperLib,

Good luck with your sarcasm.

We actually need Pakistan's cooperation if we are going to address the problem of al-Qaeda--which, by the way, is a different problem than the problem of a resurgent Taliban. Our options become rather more limited if Pakistan decides to stop cooperating, even more limited if it decides to resist in any way.
SuperLib at 04:37 PM JST - 12th September

And Pakistan faces utter destruction from within if they stop working with the US. Go ahead and sell that to them.
SezWho2 at 05:30 PM JST - 12th September

SuperLib,

If that is your take on things, you sell it.