US strikes on Pak areas might rise

Washington, Sept. 6: US military officials have reportedly said that strikes in Pakistan’s FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) will increase in the coming months as "such cross-border raids were necessary" to counter increasing violence in Afghanistan.

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the cross-border US commando missions, like Wednesday’s strike in Wana killing around 20 civilians, into Pakistan may grow in coming months despite doubts within the Pentagon over the efficacy of such raids.

Pentagon officials who spoke to Los Angeles Times said that some officials in the US defence department believed such commando raids were necessary to counter increasing violence in Afghanistan. "The raids threatened to aggravate US-Pakistani tensions just before the country’s presidential election on Saturday, in which attitudes towards the US are likely to be a key issue," reported the US-based English daily.

It quoted a senior Pentagon official as saying that the presence of so-called safe havens in FATA forced US officials to conduct Wednesday’s raid that killed dozens of people in South Waziristan. "You can’t allow a haven. You have to get to the areas that they rest, relax and train," said a military officer.

Another US official suggested that the Wednesday’s raid was conducted in response to border attacks, and that no high-ranking militant leader was captured or killed. —ANI