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US aiding South Waziristan offensive

* US drones providing intelligence, surveillance videos to support Pakistan Army in Waziristan

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: US drones are providing intelligence and surveillance videos to support the Pakistan Army’s offensive in South Waziristan, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.

It said it was the first time Islamabad had accepted such assistance, which marked the “deepest American involvement yet in a Pakistani military campaign”.

The assistance includes images from armed drones, which officials say are being used exclusively for intelligence gathering in the operation. Officials were quoted as saying that provision of such information filled gaps in Islamabad’s spying arsenal and “helps show how the Obama administration intends to intensify pressure on insurgents in Pakistan”.

According to the paper, the US cooperation also reflected a significant shift for Pakistan, which had previously resisted US offers to deploy drones in support of its military operations.

“We are coordinating with the Pakistanis,” a senior US military official was quoted as saying. “And we do provide Predator support when requested.” The US and Pakistan have been sharing information from Predator flights for months, but until now, Pakistanis have not accepted help for their major military operations. The use of military drones for intelligence gathering is a separate mission from drone strikes that target the Taliban in the Tribal Areas.

Over the last 18 months, missile strikes from drones have killed at least 13 senior Al Qaeda or Taliban operatives.

But still, the US assistance is a scandalous issue for Pakistani government, that fears the existing anti-Americanism among the people might rise to levels beyond control.

A senior US defence official told LA Times that US and Pakistani interests were closely intertwined in the Waziristan offensive.

“The Pakistanis are getting more and more serious about the militant threat,” he said. “You are going to see more sharing as trust develops and assurance develops that they are using the information for effective operations against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.” A Pakistani military official acknowledged the intelligence cooperation to the paper, saying the US was helping to provide a “composite picture” of the enemy and the terrain in which it is embedded.

He claimed the offensive followed high-level talks between US and Pakistani military leaders.

While the White House deliberates over US Gen Stanley McChrystal’s recommendation to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, the Obama administration is also giving serious thought to how to provide more effective assistance to Pakistan.

The Times said the US administration was moving towards re-balancing its focus between Afghanistan and Pakistan and key civilian and military leaders, led by US Vice President Joe Biden, argue that Pakistan received insufficient US attention and resources.

Frederick Kagan, a defence analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said helping Pakistan retake South Waziristan was vital both to the stability of Pakistan and to the US campaign against Al Qaeda.

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