04 May 2009
United States Must Do More to Help Pakistan
Washington — The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says he is concerned about the progress the Taliban insurgency has had in Pakistan and believes the United States must do more over the next two years to help the Pakistani government and armed forces succeed in curbing the Taliban.
Admiral Mike Mullen also said at a May 4 Pentagon press briefing that he believes the nuclear weapons that Pakistan possesses are secure and not in danger of falling into the hands of the Taliban. U.S. administration and military leaders have said in recent days that success at thwarting the Taliban in Afghanistan depends on improving the security situation in Pakistan.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari will meet with President Obama May 6–7 in Washington and will participate in three-way consultations along with their foreign ministers and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Obama is expected to discuss his plans for disrupting the terrorist group al-Qaida and for blunting the insurgency of the Taliban. The Taliban were in power in Afghanistan when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the United States in 2001.
“I am gravely concerned about the progress they [the Taliban] have made in the south and inside Pakistan,” Mullen told reporters. “The consequences of their success directly threaten our national interests in the region and our safety here at home.”
Mullen said the United States must do more to support the Pakistani government and armed forces over at least the next two years. The United States has been supporting efforts by the Pakistanis to enhance security measures at their nuclear facilities and nuclear arsenal, and Mullen said he believes the armed forces understand how important it is to keep the Taliban from gaining control of any of the nuclear weapons.
“I remain comfortable that the nuclear weapons in Pakistan are secure, that the Pakistani leadership and in particular the military is very focused on this,” Mullen said. The admiral just completed a tour of the Middle East and South and Central Asia to examine U.S. operations and to meet with leaders in the region.
It is believed that the Taliban and the remnants of al-Qaida have found hiding places in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan, in the northwestern frontier tribal areas. Pakistani forces have been battling Taliban insurgents in the Buner Valley about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, in recent weeks.
“I’m encouraged by recent operations in Buner, but it is too soon to tell whether those operations will have a decided impact over the long term,” Mullen said.
What foreign affairs decisions should President Obama consider? Comment on America.gov's blog.
