BY BILL ROGGIO
A Pentagon spokesman said that the U.S. military machine volition non deport hot pursuit of Taliban too allied jihadist fighters from Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan into Pakistan. Additionally, the spokesman said that the military machine would endure fine if the Taliban was operating on the Pakistani side of the border. “We guide keep no authorization to come inwards Pakistan,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews toldPajhwok Afghan News. U.S. forces could enquire for authorization to chase Taliban fighters every bit they cross the edge into Pakistan, but blessing for such activeness “would for certain endure the exception too non the norm,” he continued. “Say, for example, nosotros guide keep troops inwards contact too hence the Taliban forces larn across the border,” Andrews told Pajhwok. “They are clearly within Islamic Republic of Pakistan then. There’s no alter amongst regards to respecting the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan.”
In the past times the U.S. military machine has defended its correct to pursue Taliban forces retreating into Islamic Republic of Pakistan nether its “inherent correct of self defense.” [See LWJ report, Pakistan closes NATO render road after latest U.S. cross-border attack.]
Past U.S. incursions into Pakistan
The U.S. military machine has inwards rare cases pursued Taliban fighters every bit they crossed the edge into Islamic Republic of Pakistan after battling U.S. forces inwards Afghanistan. Islamic Republic of Pakistan has responded furiously to such incursions.
In 1 of the most publicized instance, inwards Nov. 2011, U.S. laid upwards on helicopters opened fire on Taliban fighters inwards Pakistan’s tribal way of Mohmand. The Pakistani military machine claimed that 28 Islamic Republic of Pakistan troops, including ii officers, were killed too eleven to a greater extent than were wounded. The Taliban fighters retreated to a Pakistani military machine outpost when the U.S. opened fire. It is widely believed that the Pakistani troops were providing encompass for the retreating Taliban force.
Pakistan responded to the Mohmand laid upwards on past times closing the edge to NATO render trucks too also revoked the U.S. military’s purpose of the Shamsi Airbase inwards Baluchistan province. The Shamsi Airbase was used every bit both a NATO logistics base of operations too every bit a fundamental node inwards the CIA’s Predator too Reaper drone receive inwards North too South Waziristan.
Two high profile incidents occurred inwards 2008. The start was inwards June, when U.S. troops pursued a Taliban forcefulness from Kunar into Mohmand, too killed eleven fighters. The Pakistani authorities claimed that the U.S. killed Frontier Corps troops, but the U.S. released video of the incident showing the Taliban beingness targeted every bit they fled from Kunar into Mohmand.
The bit incident took house inwards Khyber inwards November, when U.S. forces launched rocket attacks too soil strikes into the Tirah Valley, a known haven for al Qaeda, the Taliban, too the Lashkar-e-Islam. Seven people were reportedly killed too 3 were wounded inwards the strikes.
Three other cross edge incursions took house inwards the autumn of 2010, when U.S. helicopters attacked Haqqani Network fighters every bit they fled dorsum into the Pakistani tribal agencies of North Waziristan too Kurram after the terror grouping attacked U.S. bases inwards Khost too Paktia provinces. More than l Haqqani Network fighters were reportedly killed inwards the Kurram attacks. Islamic Republic of Pakistan claimed ii Frontier Corps troops were killed.
Currently, the U.S. leaves the heavy lifting inwards Islamic Republic of Pakistan to covert airstrikes using unmanned Predators too Reapers against al Qaeda too the Taliban inwards Pakistan’s tribal areas. There guide keep been 8 such strikes within Paksitan hence far inwards 2018.
In addition, the U.S. carried out a unilateral especial operations raid inwards May deep into Pakistani territory too killed Osama bin Laden at his hideout inwards Abbottabad, which was non far from Pakistan’s meridian military machine academy.
US military machine OK amongst the Taliban residing inwards Pakistan
The Pentagon spokesman also said that the U.S. military machine tin convey the Taliban presence within Islamic Republic of Pakistan simply every bit long every bit Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan was secured.
“If the Taliban reside inwards Islamic Republic of Pakistan too nosotros are able to provide security too back upwards too to aid secure districts too provinces within Afghanistan, I mean value that is a tradeoff that we’re willing to make,” Andrews said, according to Pajhwok. “Because it’s non necessarily virtually these people over inwards Pakistan, it is virtually the Afghan people.
“But that’s something within Pakistan, that’s something the nation of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has got to resolve. Now we’re going to remain focused on Afghanistan.”
Additionally, Andrews said that the U.S. military machine is “hopeful Islamic Republic of Pakistan volition convey activeness because non exclusively exercise nosotros experience it is going to serve Afghanistan, but it’s going to aid protect Pakistan, Republic of Republic of India too the entire region.”
Pakistan routinely denies that the Taliban or whatever other jihadist grouping is permitted to purpose the province every bit a prophylactic haven, too instead blamed Republic of Republic of India for regional instability. The Pakistani victim narrative falls apart when looking at how the authorities too military machine let the Afghan Taliban, including the Haqqani Network, too groups allied jihadist groups such every bit Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Mullah Nazir Group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, Hizbul Mujahideen, too Jaish-e-Mohammed to operate inwards the opened upwards without fearfulness of reprisal from the state. [See LWJ report, In answer to Trump, Islamic Republic of Pakistan claims no terrorist groups operate on its soil.]
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies too the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
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