US Planning to Stage New Covert Raids in Pakistan

Fars News Agency
June 23, 2012

TEHRAN (FNA)- US military and intelligence officials have considered launching secret joint US-Afghan commando raids into Pakistan to hunt down the so-called military groups, sources revealed on Saturday.

The White House knows that such a move will be ensued by the intense diplomatic blowback from Pakistan, the sources added.

Members of the Haqqani tribe have been targeted by pilotless US drone aircraft, but sending American and Afghan troops into Pakistan would be a serious escalation and could potentially be the final straw for Pakistan, which already is angered over the US violations of its sovereignty.

The al-Qaida-allied Haqqani tribe runs a mafia-like smuggling operation and occasionally turns to terrorism with the aim of controlling its territory in eastern Afghanistan. The Haqqanis use Pakistani towns to plan, train and arm themselves with guns and explosives, cross into Afghanistan to attack NATO and Afghan forces, then retreat back across the border to safety.

The officials who were briefed told the AP that recent discussions of clandestine ground attacks have included Gen. John Allen, the senior US commander in Afghanistan, as well as top CIA and special operations officials.

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This article was posted: Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 2:05 pm

Tags: drones, foreign affairs, terrorism, war

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