Mullen Demands Pakistan Attack North Waziristan

Admiral Warns of Growing 'Strategic Impatience' With Pakistan

During his visit to Islamabad today, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen warned Pakistan that the US feels growing “strategic impatience” against them over their delay in executing the long-demanded invasion of North Waziristan Agency.

“We want to solve it overnight,” insisted Mullen, adding that there is “tension” with the Pakistani government over their delays in attacking the region. In an appearance on Pakistani television, Mullen reiterated that it was fine for Pakistan to decide on the timing of the invasion but that it had to come soon.

Mullen is expected to hold visits with a number of top leaders in Pakistan’s military over the next day, and most of his comments to the media centered around the Taliban’s killing of Pakistanis proving that the US and Pakistan are on the same side of the war. The fact that a US drone attack killed four people in North Waziristan today likely did some harm to this message, however.

The Obama Administration has been demanding the North Waziristan invasion for months. Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani reported late last month that Pakistan’s civilian government has already signed off on the US demand, and that it is entirely up to the military when to launch the attack.

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.