By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 37 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The U.S. would consider military force if necessary to stem al-Qaida's growing ability to use its hideout in Pakistan to launch terrorist attacks, a White House aide said Sunday
The president's homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, said the U.S. was committed first and foremost to working with Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, in his efforts to control militants in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. But she indicated the U.S. was ready to take additional measures.
"Just because we don't speak about things publicly doesn't mean we're not doing things you talk about," Townsend said, when asked in a broadcast interview why the U.S. does not conduct special operations and other measures to cripple al-Qaida.
"Job No. 1 is to protect the American people. There are no options off the table," she said.
Responding to earlier comments by Townsend, Pakistan's foreign minister, Khurshid Kasuri, said Sunday that the country's military was in the best position to attack al-Qaida, if the U.S. provided intelligence.
The national intelligence director, Mike McConnell, said he believed that Osama bin Laden was living in the tribal, border region of Pakistan . Bin Laden is the leader of the al-Qaida network and mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks. McConnell said Musharraf's attempt at a political solution to peace in the region had backfired by giving al-Qaida a place and time to regroup.
"Al-Qaida has been able to regain some of its momentum," McConnell said. "The leadership's intact. They have operational planners, and they have safe haven. The thing they're missing are operatives inside the United States."
In the National Intelligence Estimate released last week, analysts stressed the importance of al-Qaida's increasingly comfortable hideout in Pakistan that has resulted from a hands-off accord between Musharraf and tribal leaders along the Afghan border. That 10-month-old deal, which has unraveled in recent days, gave al-Qaida new opportunities to set up compounds for terror training, improve its international communications with associates and bolster its operations.
Since then, U.S. officials have said they expect Pakistan to launch more military strikes on Islamic militants while the Bush administration pumps hundreds of millions of dollars in development aid into lawless tribal regions to fight extremism.
On Sunday, Townsend reiterated the importance of Musharraf's efforts. "We should also be clear that we believe Pakistan has been a very good ally in the war on terrorism," she said. "Musharraf has been the subject of numerous assassination attempts. Al-Qaida's trying to kill him. They get what the problem is. And we're working with them to deny al-Qaida and the Taliban the safe haven."
McConnell also sought to bolster the leader of Pakistan , a key U.S. partner in its fight against terrorism. "President Musharraf is one of our strongest allies," McConnell said. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he agreed with Townsend that the U.S. should consider going after al-Qaida militarily "wherever they are."
"We have the NIE report, which just came out, that says al-Qaida during this administration is stronger than ever. I don't think we should take anything off the table. Wherever we find these evil people we should go get them," Reid said. But Kasuri said Pakistan was ready to act on any intelligence from the U.S.
"Let the United States provide us with actionable intelligence and you will find that Pakistan will never be lacking," he said. "Pakistan's army can do the job much better and the result will be that there will be far less collateral damage."
Townsend spoke on "Fox News Sunday" and "Late Edition" on CNN. McConnell appeared on "Meet the Press" on NBC. Reid was on "Face the Nation" on CBS. Kasuri was on CNN.
Assalaamu 3alaikum wa rahmatullaah wa Barakaatuh, Does protecting the American people necessitate attacking and killing innocent Muslims on their soil thousands of miles away? Is the security of American and English citizens achievable only thru terrorizing and conspiring against Muslims worldwide?
With this kind of thinking, Muslims around the globe must brace themselves for an endless war with the West, with NATO bombers and cruise missiles looming over our heads all the time! This is
Shall we then do nothing and wait for the bombs to fall over our heads and our families and for our countries to be turned into rubble (la qaddara Allaah), as happened to the Afghanis, Iraqis and Somalis? Or, must we stand up and show the U.S. that it "has just awakened a real sleeping giant", a 1.5 billion strong Muslim Ummah.
Muslim populations must wake up and demand from their slave governments to break the chains that bind them to Western powers and to change course for the benefit of the Muslim Ummah, not its enemies, to strengthen and defend the Ummaah. Let there be a revolt of the slaves so that our children are born free.
Instead of warning the U.S. that Pakistan'smilitary was in the best position to defend the country against any foreign aggression, Pakistan's miserable foreign minister says " the country's military was in the best position to attack al-Qaida" if only the U.S. provided intelligence! Pakistani military would blindly attack and bomb Muslim mujahideen based only on intelligence provided by the U.S.! We all know that the U.S. would like nothing better than to wipe out the entire region between Afghanistan and Pakistan and does not care how many Muslims are killed.
Some say that it is a "Fitnah" to rise up against our governments in the Muslim World. I believe the Fitnah lies in letting the traitors of the Ummah continue to rule the Ummah on behalf of its enemies and enabling them to conquer Muslim lands and inflict suffering upon millions of Muslims. The real Fitnah is to allow them to continue to divide the Ummah, supress its voice and dismantle Islaam and make Muslims strangers in their own land. The fitnah is in letting them suppress its creativity, productivity and growth, and use its resources to serve its enemies. The Muslim Ummah spans a vast geographical area and is rich in human and material resources, yet poverty and literacy among Muslim populations is the highest in the world. The real Fitnah is to watch these hypocrites purge Islaam and Islamic knowledge from school books, public libraries, masaajid, printed and broadcast media and from daily public life, and do nothing. Hijaab is banned in Tunis and Turkey, while beards are either banned or frowned on in all North African states! Egypt responded to an Israeli complaint that certain Ayaat from al-Quraan offend Jews and stopped broadcasting them. School books have been changed (as per U.S. demand) in all North African states, Palestine and Jordan , while they are in the process of being changed in Saudi Arabia. The word Jihaad has been removed from school books and even from quoted Hadeeth narrations and the concept of Jihaad itself has been restricted to "Jihaad Annafs" only, precluding fighting in the Path of Allaah! Imaams in masajid cannot invoke Jihaad in their khutbah, even calling on people to donate for supporting the resistance in Iraq or Palestine! Gone are the days when we openly held fund raisings and collected lamb skins in Eid Al-Udha for the mujahideen in Algeria and Palestine !. Even criticism of the West has become increasingly unacceptable in many Muslim states.
Threats of use of force against Muslim states has become fashionable among Roman leaders lately! After Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, now Pakistan and Iran!
haahahahhaahahah let them come to pakistan there will be a greeting commity for them inshaAllah, especially waziristan and north waziristan theyll find out sooner or later we are NOT push overs.
it doesnt matter where in the world they kill and rob from us ...Allah(SWT) is with us and He(SWT) is more powerful than anything, He (SWT) sustain us and help us alhamdulillah. Allahu Akbar!
haahahahhaahahah let them come to pakistan there will be a greeting commity for them inshaAllah, especially waziristan and north waziristan theyll find out sooner or later we are NOT push overs.
Is there a piticular reason you want an exculation of the war?
Yes let them come to Pakistan they will be greeted with open arms and people queuing up on how to get green cards and British visas.
"By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."Quran 103
Any attack in Pakistan will occur in the tribal regions, probably by airstrike or special forces incursion, not an actual invasion on land. It would all depend on intelligence and the target value.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
If this isn't complete stupidity then what, I mean someone explain to me. The US is saying they fighting a war on terror, in Afghanistan and Iraq, but what do Americans believe this war will achieve in the future, the "terrorists" well what a joke.
"By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."Quran 103
If this isn't complete stupidity then what, I mean someone explain to me. The US is saying they fighting a war on terror, in Afghanistan and Iraq, but what do Americans believe this war will achieve in the future, the "terrorists" well what a joke.
There is more than a little naive bluster being thrown about. I can't conceive any large US force occupying part of Pakistan. Keltoi is right. Much more likely would be a handful or a couple of dozen special ops guys to identify targets followed by something really expensive dropping something slightly less expensive from 30,000 ft. I am sure the ultimate goal is to make the locals grow tired of their "guests"
There is more than a little naive bluster being thrown about. I can't conceive any large US force occupying part of Pakistan. Keltoi is right. Much more likely would be a handful or a couple of dozen special ops guys to identify targets followed by something really expensive dropping something slightly less expensive from 30,000 ft. I am sure the ultimate goal is to make the locals grow tired of their "guests"
Dont sound too big headed about the terrorists (US forces) killing people, with their expensive toys. When the evil zionist empire falls it will take you all down with it too, and that doesnt seem too far away.
"By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience."Quran 103
Dont sound too big headed about the terrorists (US forces) killing people, with their expensive toys. When the evil zionist empire falls it will take you all down with it too, and that doesnt seem too far away.
What is this evil Zionist Empire again?
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
The US Army on the scene to save the day once again. Say that in a southern American accent it sounds hilarious oh and don't forget a flag flying in the background....Good Lord! Why is it that it's always the US army, I don't know about the rest of the world, but I think the US Army is starting to tick me off a bit now, don't you agree? ...US Govt. don't have better ways to spend US tax payers' money do they? Take a walk on the streets of NY, then you'll know what I'm talking about!
Why is it the U.S. army? Probably because the enemies of the American people are currently hiding in Pakistan, in areas that Musharaff doesn't actually control. The chances of the U.S. actually launching at attack there are fairly slim, depending on intelligence and target value, as I've mentioned before. Right now the strategy involves coaxing Musharaff to take on these people head on, as they aren't exactly his friends either.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
Well, when you so-called leaders are sold out and they bow to somebody else than God, you can expect a lot to happen. When you are working for somebody and that somebody is paying you $$$ big time, will you say no to your employer???
Well, when you so-called leaders are sold out and they bow to somebody else than God, you can expect a lot to happen. When you are working for somebody and that somebody is paying you $$$ big time, will you say no to your employer???
Musharaff has already said no, that is why there hasn't been U.S. military strikes inside Pakistan.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
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haahahahhaahahah let them come to pakistan there will be a greeting commity for them inshaAllah, especially waziristan and north waziristan
oh and don't forget a flag flying in the background....Good Lord! Why is it that it's always the US army, I don't know about the rest of the world, but I think the US Army is starting to tick me off a bit now, don't you agree?
...US Govt. don't have better ways to spend US tax payers' money do they? Take a walk on the streets of NY, then you'll know what I'm talking about!
Go out and enjoy the summer sun.
Re: U.S. force not ruled out in Pakistan
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