PAKISTAN REACTED with anger yesterday to a US proposal to expand its drone missile strikes inside the country against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets.
Pakistani politicians and officials described the idea of extending military operations into the vast, southwestern province of Baluchistan as provocative and counterproductive, and warned of a severe backlash if the US went ahead.
Sources in the US administration confirmed that the White House had received recommendations from the military about an escalation in the use of the CIA’s unmanned drones to launch missile attacks.
The recommendation calls for a renewed focus on targets in the economically backward province, which has provided a stronghold for the Afghan Taliban and a sanctuary for al-Qaeda elements.
The White House has refused to comment. – (Guardian service)