Petraeus says Pakistan has 2 weeks to avoid collapse

Telegraph:

American officials have watched with growing anxiety as Taliban fighters have strengthened their grip on north-western Pakistan.

Militants advanced to within 60 miles of Islamabad, the capital, last month and were pushed back only when the US put pressure on Pakistan to launch a counter-offensive.

Gen Petraeus, the head of Central Command, which covers all US forces in the Middle East and south Asia, is reported to have said that “the Pakistanis have run out of excuses” and now accept that tough action has to be taken to guarantee the government’s survival.

Gen Petraeus, who oversaw the American troop surge credited with quelling the insurgency in Iraq, is reported to have wearied of Pakistan’s excuses for failing to take on the Taliban.

According to Fox News, he told colleagues “we have heard it all before”.

He is reported to have urged concrete action to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the United States’ next course of action.

Gen Petraeus made the assessment in private talks with congressmen and members of the senate, according to Fox.

Senior officials in President Barack Obama’s administration are said to have more confidence in Pakistan’s army, led by Gen Ashfaq Kayani, than President Asif Ali Zardari’s civilian government.

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Gen Petraeus’s comments came amid an escalating battle between security forces and Taliban militants yesterday.

Fighting in Buner district, just 60 miles from Islamabad, left up to 60 dead even as Pakistan’s government pressed on yesterday with a much-criticised peace plan in the region, officials said.

Maj Gen Athar Abbas, a spokesman for the Pakistani army, said at least 55 militants had been killed in the previous 24 hours, bringing to more than 100 the total dead since the offensive began on Tuesday. Two Pakistani soldiers were killed and eight others injured when weapons they were destroying exploded.

Gen Abbas said ground troops backed by helicopter gunships destroyed nine suicide vehicles and six vehicles of “fleeing militants”.

Three “suicide motorcyclists” were also shot dead by ground troops advancing on narrow mountain tracks while a suicide bomber blew up a booby-trapped house, killing two paramilitary soldiers and wounding eight others. it took Pakistan’s overall losses to 13 during the offensive.

Gen Abbas said the militants included foreign fighters who were well organised and armed with mortars and anti-aircraft machine guns.

The militants were still in control of parts of Buner valley, although Pakistani troops had secured the main town of Daggar after helicopters dropped forces behind enemy lines. In another district, Upper Dir, more than 50 militants stormed the headquarters of a paramilitary force and kidnapped 10 people.

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Gen. Petraeus appears to be ratcheting up the sense of urgency on dealing with the Taliban. Hopefully, the Pakistan military and its government will also act with some sense of urgency. They have not to date and their approach to the problem still lacks an understanding of counterinsurgency doctrine. The US should push for training of Pakistan troops in counterinsurgency warfare by US forces that would be in Pakistan working with them. Pakistan's resistance to this type of training is irrational.