Re: After NWFP US may strike Baluchistan
WASHINGTON: The United States has now turned its focus to Quetta, claiming that it has now become a major Taliban base from where Mullah Omar and his commanders plan and launch cross-border strikes into Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, The Washington Post quoted US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson as saying that Quetta was high on Washington’s list of terrorist bases in the region.
‘In the past, we focussed on Al Qaeda because they were a threat to us. The Quetta Shura mattered less to us because we had no troops in the region,’ she said. ‘Now our troops are there on the other side of the border, and the Quetta Shura is high on Washington’s list.’
Gen Stanley A. McChrystal, the top US and…
She said Pakistani officials were growing ‘extremely nervous’ that the current policy disputes in Washington would lead to a premature US pullout from Afghanistan. ‘They will not rush to cut ties with the Taliban if they think they will be back in charge there again,’ she said…
DAWN.COM | World | Patterson says Quetta Shura high on US list