IndiaPost.com - Us plans attacks on Al Qaeda inside Pak

WASHINGTON: Al Qaeda has regrouped in its Pakistani "safe haven" and is intent on launching new attacks on the United States, a top White House official has said, citing a new intelligence report.

"The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) notes that Al Qaeda and its affiliates have sought safe haven in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas of Pakistan and replaced senior leaders and operational commanders that have been captured or killed," Frances Townsend, the Homeland Security Advisor at the White House said at a special briefing.

The National Intelligence Official for Transnational Threats Edward Gistaro said the territories that Al Qaeda "core" uses in Pakistan is beyond the writ of the government of President Pervez Musharraf which is unwilling to crack down as it is reluctant to pay the price. The officials gave indication that the US is not averse to taking unilateral action inside Pakistan if it considers grave enough threat to US from there. A significant assertion about possible US attacks on targets inside Pakistan was made by Frances Townsend.

Asked why US should not be sending troops inside Pakistan in pursuit of terrorists, she said, "There’s no question the President has made perfectly clear if we had actionable targets anywhere in the world, putting aside whether it was Pakistan or any place else, we would pursue those targets." In interviews across TV networks, she said the US would like Pakistan itself to take action, "But make no mistake — the president has been clear — job number one is protecting the American people. And we will do what’s necessary, taking no options off the table to do that."

Even Richard Boucher, the US official overseeing South Asia, considered sympathetic to Islamabad, said at a special briefing "some military action is necessary and will probably have to be taken" in the troubled areas of Pakistan. He did not say by whom, although he spoke at length about the need to support Pakistani efforts.

The US intelligence report quoted by Townsend said, "Al Qaeda continues to attempt to create global terrorist alliances, raise resources and recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for homeland attacks. "Importantly, the NIE assesses that Al Qaeda has protected or regenerated three of four key elements in planning an attack on the homeland: a safe haven in Pakistan, operational lieutenants and top leadership," the senior official added. Only sections of the NIE have been made public as the top secret document outlines the threat assessments against the United States and in the context of the Al Qaeda there have been several references to Pakistan, the northwestern areas in particular.

Edward Gistaro also said that Al Qaeda in Pakistan, which is the "core", will seek to leverage the capabilities of the outfit in Iraq to bolster its capabilities to attack America. "We’re concerned that Al Qaeda in Pakistan — Al Qaeda core, if you will — will seek to leverage Al Qaeda in Iraq’s capabilities, networks, to try and enhance its own capabilities to attack here at home," Gistaro said. "Al Qaeda core certainly uses it affiliation with AQI to try and energize the broader jihadist movement, to mobilize resources, recruits, for Al Qaeda core’s own organic external plotting," he said. The intelligence official said the terrorist outfit is trying to lay its hands on non-conventional capabilities.

"We do not judge that they have those capabilities at this point, but we judge that if they were successful in obtaining them, they would not hesitate to use them. They’re not trying to get these capabilities as a means of deterring the US or others. They’re trying to acquire these capabilities, in our judgment, in an effort to use them," Gistaro said. Stressing that Pakistan is unable to exercise control in the tribal region, he said "the peace agreement is a manifestation, a reflection of that. I consider them part and parcel of the same problem.

These territories are beyond the writ, beyond the ability of the Pakistan government to control without suffering losses and opportunity costs that so far have been higher than Islamabad been prepared to pay". The White House official said Washington was working with President Musharraf and the Pakistani government to capture key Al Qaeda operatives and pressure the terrorist network and the Taliban in the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas.