Petraeus: Militants Could Topple Pakistan

Situation 'Increasingly Dire'

CENTCOM Commander General David Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the assorted militant factions in Pakistan “could literally take down their state” barring action against them.

Gen. Petraeus also said that the Obama Administration was doing a “deep dive” of investigation into TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud, who yesterday claimed his organization was planning to “launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world.” Intelligence officials seemed quick to dismiss the threaten attack, part of the TTP’s retaliation against the ongoing US missile strikes against the group in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Petraeus and other defense officials portrayed the situation as “increasingly dire”, and were reportedly pressing the Obama Administration to add yet another 10,000 troops to the ever increasing surge of soldiers being sent to Afghanistan.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.