Posted on 05/29/2010 6:51:48 AM PDT by markomalley
The U.S. military is reviewing options for a unilateral strike in Pakistan in the event that a successful attack on American soil is traced to the country's tribal areas, according to senior military officials.
Ties between the alleged Times Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, and elements of the Pakistani Taliban have sharpened the Obama administration's need for retaliatory options, the officials said. They stressed that a U.S. reprisal would be contemplated only under extreme circumstances, such as a catastrophic attack that leaves President Obama convinced that the ongoing campaign of CIA drone strikes is insufficient.
"Planning has been reinvigorated in the wake of Times Square," one of the officials said.
At the same time, the administration is trying to deepen ties to Pakistan's intelligence officials in a bid to head off any attack by militant groups. The United States and Pakistan have recently established a joint military intelligence center on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, and are in negotiations to set up another one near Quetta, the Pakistani city where the Afghan Taliban is based, according to the U.S. military officials. They and other officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity surrounding U.S. military and intelligence activities in Pakistan.
The "fusion centers" are meant to bolster Pakistani military operations by providing direct access to U.S. intelligence, including real-time video surveillance from drones controlled by the U.S. Special Operations Command, the officials said. But in an acknowledgment of the continuing mistrust between the two governments, the officials added that both sides also see the centers as a way to keep a closer eye on one another, as well as to monitor military operations and intelligence activities in insurgent areas.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
And Rush thought it was just satire...
Uh, aren’t we already striking “Pakistan”?
” a unilateral strike in Pakistan in the event that a successful attack on American soil is traced to the country’s tribal areas “
Yeah - never mind that most, if not all, of the unsuccessful attempts in the past 5 years have had connections to Pakistan - we’ve gotta wait until more innocent American blood is spilled before we get serious...
Shameful....
in the event that a successful attack on American soil is traced to the country's tribal areasWell, don't *we* all feel better?
Perhaps that's just a formality we need to tidy up before we invade a foreign country with ground troops trying to exterminate them.
Kind of a "don't ask, don't tell" me if you are my enemy, dear cousin of mine. If we conduct ground raids and tell the Paks, we might just as well include the Taliban in our operational plan or at least broadcast over the radio.
If we don't tell the Paks, their people are all over and will get hurt and there will be a major ruckus in Pakistan.
” If we don’t tell the Paks, their people are all over and will get hurt and there will be a major ruckus in Pakistan. “
If there’s going to be a ruckus, I’d much rather that it take place over there - rather than NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, or Denver... (Really mixed feelings about DC and the Left Coast... ;))
I opened this thread expecting a HUMOR piece.
Anyone who watched Ears during the debates knew he had a hardon for attacking Pakistan.
Lots of muslims do.
But hay, at least he’ll get lots of FREepers who will give him a pass on all the socialism if he just attacks Pakistan.
Can’t get too worked up over the destruction of your country, liberty, and freedom at home when there’s a foreign war to get hot and bothered over.
They can have NYC or Chicago for all I care. Corrupt liberal hell holes.
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