US asks Pak to act against Taliban or face drone attacks: Report

NEW DELHI : The US issued a bold warning to Pakistan that a failure to act against Taliban groups will force Washington to take unilateral action by expanding drone attacks in Pakistani soil.

Washington wants Islamabad to take out the Haqqani network, which is based in northern Waziristan, Taliban supremo Mullah Omar and the members of the Shura group, believed to be hiding in Balochistan.

“The US was prepared to take unilateral action to expand Predator drone attacks beyond the tribal areas and, if needed, to resume raids by Special Operations Forces into the country against Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders,” a New York Times report said.

The report quoting American and Pakistani officials said the Obama administration felt that Pakistani forces till now have refused to attack the Taliban groups.

The message to buck up was delivered by US national security advisor James Jones and White House counter-terrorism chief John O Brennan when they met heads of Pakistan’s military and intelligence service in Pakistan. This took place before US President Barack Obama unveiled his Afghan policy.

The report further said that US did not mean it as an ultimatum, but as a warning to push the reluctant Pakistani military to go after the Taliban in Pakistan.

American commanders had said that they were thinking of expanding drone strikes in Pakistan’s lawless tribal areas. But this is the first time Pakistan has been directly told that it could chose between leading the attacks or stepping aside to allow the Americans to take out the terror groups.

The report quoted an unnamed Obama administration official as saying “We’ve offered them a strategic choice... And we’ve heard back almost nothing”.

Another administration official said: “Our patience is wearing thin.” In September 2008, US Special Operation Forces had attacked Al Qaeda terrorists in a Pakistani village. But the raid was condemned by Pakistan and the US had backed off.