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| | GEO Pakistan | | Pakistan's campaign reduces cross-border movement: Pentagon | Updated at: 0205 PST, Friday, October 24, 2008
WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s campaign against al-Qaeada and the Taliban militants has been effective in terms of reducing movement of fighters across the Afghan border and the elected government recognizes that it has to deal with the threat for their country’s own good, the Pentagon said.
The Department of Defense Spokesman Geoff Morrell said Pakistan’s stepped up operations against militants in areas bordering Afghanistan is encouraging. “It is stepped up not just in terms of tempo, but in terms of effectiveness.
And as a result, we have seen some improvement in the flow of foreign fighters across the border into Afghanistan. So that is a welcome sign,” he told a Pentagon briefing, when asked to comment on Pakistan’s consistent anti-terror operations over the past three months.
Pakistan says it has eliminated hundreds of militants in operations in the tribal border region over the last two months. Officials say the militants based in Afghanistan are now entering the Pakistan’s Bajaur tribal area and fighting the security forces.
Islamabad has asked Afghanistan-based international forces to stop the flow of militants into Pakistan and pointed out that Afghan narco-money is fueling militancy in its areas.
The Pentagon spokesman in his remarks said the decline in number of fighters crossing the border into Afghanistan is based on US military assessments but was unable to give any figures.
Morrell said the Pakistani government clearly has the will to fight terrorism in the interests of their own country. |  |
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