Foreign Correspondence

[fuagf]

U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan Bolster Terrorists, Gilani Says
By Khaleeq Ahmed and Michael Heath

Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. drone strikes on Pakistani territory are undermining the government's efforts to isolate terrorists from the local population in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said.

``Such acts are counterproductive and help terrorists to strengthen their position,'' Gilani told reporters late yesterday after returning from a regional summit in China, where he reaffirmed that no nation has the right to attack Pakistan.

A suspected U.S. drone fired missiles into the South Waziristan region early today, killing 20 militants, Reuters reported, citing unidentified Pakistani intelligence agency officials. The Pentagon said it had no information on the strike, according to the report. The region is a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have stepped up cross-border raids into Pakistan, where American security forces say Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters shelter between attacks on international troops. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last month the Pentagon has permission from President George W. Bush to attack Taliban and al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan.

Gilani's government ordered the military to attack extremists in the northwest in August and more than 1,000 have been killed in the Bajaur district. The army has also brought most of the Swat Valley, located north of the capital, Islamabad, under its control, according to the government.

Kidnapping Thwarted

Pakistani tribesmen prevented Taliban insurgents from seizing a militia chief in Swat yesterday and the two sides engaged in a firefight that left as many as 30 people dead, the Associated Press reported, citing regional police chief Dilawar Bangash.

Hundreds of Taliban fighters later returned to the scene, where they seized three members of the militia and beheaded one as a warning against opposing the movement, AP said, citing Bangash.

Gilani's government is pursuing a program of selective military action targeting militants and wooing tribal leaders to encourage them to expel foreign fighters from the Afghan border region. The Pakistani prime minister says the tribal areas need investment and development as raising living standards is the best method of cutting support for extremists.

Thousands of Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters sought shelter in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region after the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to ``regular contacts'' between their governments, military, security and intelligence agencies to ``eliminate the scourge of extremism,'' according to a statement released after their foreign ministers met in Islamabad Afghanistan last week.

Tribal leaders from both countries will meet in Islamabad today, the official Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Lawmakers will also attend the meeting that is likely to be addressed by the foreign ministers of both countries, APP said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aN69TMr9nYsw&refer=us