Pakistan To US: Stop Missile Strikes Near Border

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan's government summoned the U.S. ambassador on Wednesday to urge an immediate halt to missile strikes on suspected militant hide-outs near the Afghan border.

Missile strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida commanders in Pakistan, putting some pressure on extremist groups accused of planning attacks in Afghanistan _ and perhaps terror strikes in the West.

However, the increasing frequency of the strikes has strained America's seven-year alliance with Pakistan, where rising violence is exacerbating economic problems that threaten the nuclear-armed Islamic republic's stability.

Having called in U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson on Wednesday, "a strong protest was lodged on the continued missile attacks by U.S. drones inside Pakistani territory," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The attacks have led to the loss of "precious lives and property" and "undermine public support for the government's counterterrorism policies," the statement said.

"It was emphasized that such attacks were a violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and should be stopped immediately," it said.

In Washington, the State Department confirmed that Patterson had been summoned to the foreign ministry, but refused to discuss details of the meeting.

"I'll let the Pakistanis describe why they called her in," spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

American commanders complain that Pakistani forces have not put enough pressure on militants in its remote and impoverished border regions, an area considered a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.

Reflecting that frustration, U.S. military and CIA drones that patrol the frontier region are believed to have carried out at least 15 strikes since mid-August, including one that killed about 20 people at the home of a Taliban commander on Monday.

The United States rarely confirms or denies involvement.

Lawmakers on Monday pass a resolution condemning the attacks and calling on the government to take "more effective measures" to stop them.

The Foreign Ministry said it gave a copy of the resolution to Patterson on Wednesday.

Comments

[MagisterLudi]

Here are a few positive steps to calm down the P-stanis

1.Military alliance with India. India should be our natural ally-- the biggest Democracy in the world, not the West-hating P-stan.
2. Withdrawal of all aid.
3. Destruction of of Pakistani te_rror_ist networks in Kashmir.

It seems P-stan been playing footsie with with both West and their Taliban puppets long enough. WE WANT O__SAMA NOW, in pieces preferably, or else.
Let P-stan become an open enemy, it's better than their current stance as a duplicitous friend. With India as allies we can quickly teach them a lesson in humility.

[functor]

for last 60 years loons like you are dreaming of Pakistan being wiped out of the map. Pak is still there !

KEEP RANTING!

[marbiol]

sounds similar to the saudi's insisence that we not do anything militarily from their sol when we took out saddm's regime---we DID use Saudi facilities & airfelds to attack Iraq (wink wink!!!).

What's SAID in public is often quite different in private!!

[lentinelia]

One of the things that troubles me about Obama is that he endorses this kind of American military action.
He thinks it is our right to bomb in Pakistan.

I hope that if, as expected, he wins, that he will abandon this Bush doctrine and grow up.

[UltraClassic]

It's simple knotheads and nitwits. The bad guys are attacking us from Pakistan.

Most of you don't know this but we have recently authorized our local and federal law enforcement to return fire into Mexico when fired on by the narcos and other bad guy types. There is no difference.

By the way, do any of you know the current body count in the narco war in northern Mexico this year? It would surprise you.

[steamboat]

Our answer to Pakistan should be: "Dammit, get us Bin Laden, otherwise shut-up".

[ThinkCreeps]

As the information pamphlets dropped over Denmark during WWII read:

`Sabotage and there will be no bombing'.

[HempCanSaveUS]

Absolutely!!!

How dare they let Bin Laden hide out and then dictate to us
THEIR terms?

They should feel fortunate we haven't nuked the area.

-Liberal Leaning, Tree-Hugging, Pot-Smoking Californian who has already Voted for Obama!

[functor]

Memo: the entire world should feel fortunate that so far US has not "nuked" them.

you made mistake to vote Obama . With stance like this you better vote for republican.

[Mcgrawaddict]

Dumb!@# there is no Bin Laden..even if there is who does he belong to ...read history facts instead of People magazine

[steamboat]

Show us your valid evidence to your statement @**hole on why there is no Bin Laden?

[cam]

Thier claim of sovereignity doesn't hold water.. Either they control the area or they don't. Rather than claiming American incursions compromise their control, the Pakistanis should coordinate their efforts with American efforts to estabish state control of the region. The problem is, the Pakistani regime is not in charge of Pakistan. They perceive their advantage in placating thier misfits rather than confronting them.

[lentinelia]

Yeah.
Who the f-ck is Pakistan to claim national sovereignty?
Bush rules.

[functor]

sort of the same answer you gave to Taliban when they refuse to handover OBL. And then...well you know the rest of the story.

[Obama08Supporter]

Bush is trying to help McCain by starting another war, it was expected in my mind. It is the same game every four years.

[steamboat]

Obama has said (I agree, by the way) he is going to do search & destroy incursions into Pakistan.

[Moshe]

Like most nations, the U.S. would consider any armed attack by a foreign military power within or borders as a clear act of war.

So why is it so hard for the U.S. to get this when it's the U.S. dropping the bombs?

This current neo-con nightmare run by the Bush/Cheney/Rove cabal is not the real America. The real America must be a nation acting under the Rule of Law, and while ready to defend when necessary, always seeking a just peace with all.

The last eight years have been a nightmare largerly because of extreme militarism by the U.S., a legacy that has now embittered generations against the U.S.

Although there are sometimes necessary wars of defense, most wars are not necessary, and there is never any good war.

It's time for the U.S. to start pounding the swords into plow shares and rebuild our own nation rather than blowing up other nations.

[MagisterLudi]

Desert Strong was a necessary war. So is Afghanistan invasion. Thats why it's supported by numerous Sucurity Counsil resolutions.

"...there is never any good war."
WW2 was a good and necessary war. From the very beginning to the very end. If it only started earlier, millions of its vic_tims would be alive today. You should right now drop to your knees and salute the Russian, Brit and American heroes who took out the German and Japanese war machines. Really. And I wouldn't have ig_norant like you smear the memory of heroes of Stalingrad, Kursk, Iwo Jima and Al Alamein.

[ZenCrusader]

This liberal has NO PROBLEM with the USA hitting Al Qaeda in another country. Any nation who harbors Al Qaeda and will not get rid of the vermin themselves, should be on notice that we WILL hit behind their borders. ENOUGH.

[steamboat]

WELL SAID !

[Mcgrawaddict]

dum people like u really think there is such a thing called AL Qaeda ...

Like i said earlier..Read ur american history first then point fingers ...

[CC1]

Learn how to punctuate and spell then insult.

[ming099]

.....US to Pakistan.......SKRU U................and Syria too........get your act together and under control and we WILL NOT HAVE TO HIT YOU THERE..........

[TrooAmerican]

US to Pakistan:
Stop helping terror groups that attack our troops and subjugate Afghanistan, and plot terror attacks worldwide.

there, thats pretty simple.
You stop first, and then we'll stop.

[Raster]

New Pakistan "government" (in name only) is weak and getting weaker by the day. Pakistan is about to become a basket case, not very far behind Somalia. Pakistan has at least 60 nukes in its arsenal. Their top generals have sworn in the past that no foreign power will ever be permitted to confiscate and remove Pakistan's nukes under any circumstances, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS.

[butonelife]

Pakistan is harboring OBL and the Taliban leadership. We could have used political and military clout to change that situation. To bad the regal chimp left them in tatters in a country that did nothing to us. Heck of a job, Georgie!

[grf67]

Soverignty of any country not the US has no meaning for bush and his republican friends. Technically, attacks across a foreign border are war crimes.

[ZenCrusader]

then so be it. Any nation that harbors Al Qaeda and won't deal with it should expect us to hit behind their borders. 911 WAS A WAR CRIME. You think we should just wait until the middle east comes to its senses ? IT NEVER WILL.

[Chuck2200]

We will gladly stop PROVIDED the Pakastani government stops allowing al-Quida and Talaban led cross-border raids on US positions inside Afganistan from Pakistan. The entire reason we do these missions is because the Pakistanis won't or can't.
Bottom line: The Pakistani government was given several years to step up to the plate and take effective action, but the did not. That means that our only option is to do it ourselves.

I STRONGLY believe that so long as the cross-border raids from inside Pakistan continue, then the American military responses into Pakistan should continue. What are we supposed to do, let them sneak out of Pakistan and murder us and then because thet sneaked back we let them go? No way, no how! Find them. Target them. Kill them. Keep doing it until they stop. That's up to the Pakistani government. If the are unable or unwilling to do it. WE WILL!

[UnderdogSRD]

Don't that know that we have an election to influence over here?

What are they thinking, those (insert slanderous derogatory stereotypical term here) thinking they are a sovereign nation. We are the USA the biggest, baddest, mo fo country in the history of the world! Our foreign policy under Bush/Cheney is if it is in the 'best interest' of America we'll do whatever we want, everything else be damned. And the rest of the world better get used to it! If McPalin is elected nothing changes. Who cares about the Constitution and human rights, there are non-christian evil doers out there, and we need to drive our SUVs and watch nascar and prowrestling and eat fast food and drink crappy beer. (for any republicans reading this, that's sarcasm, I know you can't distinguish between facts and crap, I've seen it first hand. I was once engaged to a repug.).

Then again some of us, who see the big picture, the complexities involved and know what is best for the whole country. Vote O - 08!