‘US to hit militant safe havens in Pakistan’

[Naveed Yaseen]

WASHINGTON: Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Adm Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conceded before the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that the US military was not winning the fight against an increasingly deadly insurgency in Afghanistan, saying it would revise its strategy to combat militant safe havens in Pakistan.

Mullen said he was "looking at a new, more comprehensive strategy for the region" that would cover both sides of the border, including Pakistan's tribal areas. "These two nations are inextricably linked in a common insurgency that crosses the border between them," Mullen said. "We can hunt down and kill extremists as they cross over the border from Pakistan but until we work more closely with the Pakistani government to eliminate the safe havens from which they operate, the enemy will only keep coming."

Robert Gates said the United States' relationship with Pakistan is not confined to anti-terrorism assistance alone but it is much broader in range and takes into account the interests of Pakistani people.

He cited Washington's plans for massive economic assistance for Pakistan and said it would bolster the confidence of the new government in the United States having a long-term commitment to the South Asian country.

"We are in this to help Pakistan over the long-term and it is not just a relationship based on military relationship that is focused on the border with Afghanistan but it is much broader and has the interests of Pakistani people in mind," Gates told the House Armed Service Committee.

The top Pentagon leader said the United States has a multi-year package for economic development of Pakistan. "A broader kind of assistance package that helps the Pakistani people, I think will not only give their new government the confidence that we have a long range plan in mind in terms of partnering with them but that it is multi-faceted and is not just focused on the military fight," he stated.

Gates said the Pakistan military and the government were focused on the instability in the border region and it was critical to continue to work with the new Pakistan government. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman Joints Chiefs of Staff, said the United States will sustain relations with Pakistan over the long haul.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Adm Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee success in Afghanistan would require more civilian effort beyond the military fight. "Frankly, we're running out of time," Mullen said. "I'm not convinced we are winning it in Afghanistan. I am convinced we can," he said, offering a sober assessment nearly seven years since the US-led forces toppled the Taliban after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.

The officials said the West should do more to help Afghans with new investments in roads and other infrastructure, education and crop assistance. "These are the keys to success in Afghanistan," said Mullen. "We cannot kill our way to victory." He said Afghanistan badly needed a national security force supported by local leaders. Gates supports an Afghan government proposal to double the size of the country's army by creating an active-duty force of 122,000 troops by 2014.

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