By NNN-APP,
Washington : Advising caution against U.S. overt attacks on militant targets on the Pakistani side of the Afghan border, a top former military commander and supporter of President-elect Barack Obama has urged anti-terrorism help for Pakistan as well as a broader approach to regional security that should take into account tensions over Kashmir.
Wesley Clark, a retired general who also served as NATO commander, favored Obama’s contention there may be times for U.S. action under a specific circumstance (in the case of actionable intelligence on high-value targets) but firmly argued that the United States would be better off if it let the Pakistanis act against militants on its soil.
“I think it is a dangerous thing for stability in the region to be too heavily overtly involved there. But, on the other hand, Pakistan needs support and assistance. And its government and military are in a very tough fight,” he stated.
Clark was speaking in a CNN appearance on suggestions that the U.S. should fire upon ‘irreconcilable’ terror operatives that may be hiding on the Pakistani side of the border.
He said any such move must take into consideration a whole lot of aspects including the risk of collateral damage, the real value of target and the impact of firing.
“I think the more we can help Pakistan to do this work themselves, the better off we are. The more we can be in a supporting role, instead of a leading role, the more we can take—let Pakistanis’ legitimate governmental institutions take the responsibility for the inevitable mistakes that occur when force is applied, the better off we are”.
“But I don’t think you can say you will never, ever, if you get actionable intelligence on key figures, that you would never do it.”
On achieving success in Afghanistan, Clark said the U.S. has to be careful on defining success in that country and advocated a regional approach that should seek to address Pakistan-India tensions over longstanding Kashmir dispute.
“I think that you have got to look at ways to see the bigger picture. The bigger picture is tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, then issues in Pakistan, and then the spillover across the border, and then the results of 30 years of ceaseless conflict in Afghanistan. So, we have got to provide economic hope in the region.
We have got to provide a modicum of security.”
“We can’t impose our standards on peoples there that have their own ideas. We have got to respect them, probably decentralize a little bit in Afghanistan.”