ISLAMABAD — President Barack Obama’s special envoy to Pakistan said Thursday that securing hard-fought gains in the Swat Valley and ensuring the safe return of refugees uprooted by the government’s anti-Taliban campaign should be Islamabad’s top priority.
Pakistan’s military is winding down an offensive that began in April in the country’s northwest and displaced some 2 million people from Swat and surrounding areas, according to the United Nations.
"The highest priority right now has to be to secure the areas in Swat and Buner as the refugees return,” Richard Holbrooke told reporters.
Security forces have also been carrying out strikes ahead of a promised new offensive in nearby South Waziristan, part of Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt along the Afghan border. The military says that operation is aimed at eliminating Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, who heads a loose alliance of militant groups based in the tribal areas.
Mehsud has been blamed for scores of suicide attacks across the country, and Islamabad considers him Pakistan’s greatest internal threat.
Holbrooke said the U.S. has been slow in recognizing the importance of Mehsud, but stressed Thursday that eliminating him was "without a doubt” of strategic importance to the United States.
"I think Baitullah Mehsud is one of the most dangerous and odious people in the entire region and the United States paid insufficient attention to him until very recently,” he said.
Although the military has declared Swat cleared of most militants and civilians have been returning to the region for the past two weeks, violence persists in the region.
"Northern Swat is still insecure. And the leadership like Fazlullah has not been captured. So there’s a long way to go here,” Hollbrook said.
"They’re going after the people who pose the greatest threat.”
No comments:
Post a Comment