Pakistan has said it has launched an offensive in North Waziristan, believed to be the hiding place of Osama bin Laden. The move follows months of American encouragement to take on al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban. Senior military officers told the foreign media that "probing" operations in the lawless tribal area had already begun and the aim was to clear North Waziristan of al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters by the end of June.
Confirmation of an imminent full-scale offensive in the tribal areas marks an apparent about turn by Pakistan which will be warmly welcomed in Washington if large-scale operations take place.
An offensive in North Waziristan could provide crucial flanking protection for American and British troops in Afghanistan as well as disrupting the Taliban leadership.
American drone attacks on targets in North Waziristan, carried out with the acquiescence Islamabad, have been taking place with increasing frequency. On Wednesday, three American missiles, killed an estimated six Taliban inside a compound in North Waziristan.
The Pakistani military has previously resisted intense pressure from the United States to target the so-called "Haqqani Network" of Jalaluddin Haqqani, an Afghan Taliban leader, which is one of the most deadly forces in the Afghan insurgency.
Haqqani has long been regarded as a "Pakistani asset" and Islamabad had declined to attack him, claiming that their forces were already overstretched in South Waziristan and the Swat Valley – an explanation that the Obama administration publicly accepted.
Source: http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/03-Apr-2010/Pakistan-launches-offensive-on-hiding-place-of-Osama-report
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