US expresses extreme concern on Pakistan

Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 9:20 PM Posted by Beijing News


The United States expressed extreme concern about advances by the Taliban in Pakistan and said the issue was taking up a significant amount of President Barack Obama's time.

"I think the news over the past several days is very disturbing, the administration is extremely concerned," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, noting "candid" comments on the issue by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday.

"We are extremely concerned about the situation and it is something that takes a lot of the president's time," he said.

"What is happening in Pakistan and Afghanistan is the central foreign policy focus of this administration."

Pakistan earlier Thursday deployed paramilitary troops to northwestern districts infiltrated by Taliban militants, as global concern mounted over Islamabad's ability to rein in the Islamists.

On Wednesday, Clinton warned in extremely strong language that Pakistan, the key US anti-terror ally, was "basically abdicating to the Taliban and to the extremists" with an agreement permitting Sharia law in the Swat valley.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates backed up her words on Thursday, saying that Pakistan's leaders must act to stop the militants who have taken control of districts about 100 kilometers 60 miles outside the capital Islamabad.

Gates told reporters that in his discussions with Pakistani leaders, the government appeared to grasp the threat posed by Taliban militants, but he stressed the leadership needed to take action.

"It is important they not only recognize it the threat, but take the appropriate actions to deal with it," said Gates, during a trip to a marine base at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

In a bid to expand their control, the Taliban have now moved into the Buner district from the Swat valley, where Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari recently signed a deal allowing the implementation of strict Islamic law.

Officials and witnesses said the extremists were patrolling the streets of Buner, warning residents not to engage in "un-Islamic" activity and barring women from public places.

With concern about stability in the region mounting, a senior US official confirmed on Wednesday that Obama will host talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Zardari in early May.

The president will meet the two leaders separately and then the three will take part in a summit May 6 and 7, the Washington Post reported. The official declined to confirm those details.

The new US leader has put nuclear-armed Pakistan, a key regional US ally, at the center of the fight against Al-Qaeda as the US dispatches 4,000 more troops, in addition to an extra 17,000 already committed, to Afghanistan.

The plan, unveiled in March, includes a focus on flushing out Al-Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan and boosting civilian efforts to build up both Afghanistan and Pakistan, notably in agriculture and education.





Edmonds

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