US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was hoping to use his visit to Pakistan as a chance to shore up a fraying alliance and, as every other top American official visiting the nation has, a chance to pressure the nation to embark on even more offensives.
But Secretary Gates left disappointed after unusually pointed comments from the Pakistani military, ruling out new wars in its tribal regions for at least the next 6-12 months.
“The Pakistan army is overstretched and it is not in a position to open any new fronts,” noted Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. Pakistan has committed some 200,000 troops to the current clashes at America’s behest, and is still fighting a massive offensive in South Waziristan as well as lingering unrest in and around the Swat Valley.
Gates does not appear to have completely given up, however, dangling the prospect of finally offering drones to the Pakistani military, something they have long sought, as a way of “improving” ties between the two nations.
Finally, Pakistan is standing up. Gates go home, you and your cohorts in Israel are the true Terrorists.
Everything and everyone is for sale in Pakistan, the U.S. and everywhere else too…. So… Probably it's a problem of too little baksheesh… & or the Taliban has devised new ways to pressure the Army to be less reflexive to the U.S. Israeli paymasters…. Remember the bombing at a Mosque in Rawalpindi..??
For you and I just another bombing, but it was the Mosque of the army.. Has messing with the "Taliban" become so expensive that the generals are having second thoughts..?? One must savor the absolute stellar hypocrisy of Gates, one of the "we are bringing democracy" to the people" putting the Israeli drones on the table for the generals, the ones that murder in the night, no trial, no lawyer, no accusations… just swift death…. and too bad for anyone nearby…..the Israeli solution to dissent of their prisoners… Perhaps Gates being forced to admit that Eric Prince's "Christian Crusaders" are there and on SOME job. Is it to smash the smooks or snatch the nukes..?? Yaa what a poor choice, the nutjob Christian Zionist as the point of the spear in PAKISTAN….of ALL places…. The only solace that one can draw is that the seemly inexorable plunge into endless escalation and ever expanding war may hit a speed bump here and there along the way… It just requires more and more money, but no problem, hey…We can print it faster than they demand it…. What, me worry…???