Author: IANS
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 2, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/173396/US-gives-Pakistan-two-weeks-time-to-eliminate-Taliban.html
Stepping up pressure on Pakistan to take concrete
action against the Taliban, the US has given Islamabad two weeks time to eliminate
the insurgents from its soil before Washington determines what it will do
next.
General David Petraeus, who heads the US Central
Command, has told US officials that the coming two weeks would be "critical
to determining whether the Pakistani Government will survive", Fox News
reported.
"The Pakistanis have run out of excuses"
and are "finally getting serious" about combating the threat from
Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists operating out of the country's northwest,
the general said.
Criticising Pakistan's attitude towards fighting
the insurgents, Petraeus said "we have heard it all before" that
Pakistan was doing its best to eliminate the Taliban threat.
He said that he is looking forward to see
concrete action by Islamabad in the next two weeks before determining the
US' next course of action, which is presently set on propping up the Pakistani
Government and military with counter-insurgency training and aid.
Petraeus made these assessment in talks with
lawmakers and Obama administration officials this week, the news channel reported,
citing people familiar with the discussions.
The sources also told the channel that no
one in Washington has an "understanding of Taliban's true objective".
It remains unclear to policymakers here whether
the Taliban wants to overthrow the Zardari Government or merely to carve out
territory within Pakistan in which it can establish safe haven, impose Sharia
law, and plot attacks against external targets.
