US Military Not Welcome in Pakistan: Army

[slipslidingaway]

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/29858

By Agence France Presse

ISLAMABAD - "The Pakistani military reacted angrily Sunday to reports that US President George W. Bush is considering covert military operations in the country’s volatile tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

“It is not up to the US administration, it is Pakistan’s government who is responsible for this country,” chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AFP.

“There are no overt or covert US operations inside Pakistan. Such reports are baseless and we reject them.”

The New York Times reported on its website late Saturday that under a proposal being discussed in Washington, CIA operatives based in Afghanistan would be able to call on direct military support for counter-terrorism operations in neighbouring Pakistan..."


Pakistani refugees flee to Afghanistan; U.S commanders in Afghanistan monitor turmoil

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/02/america/US-Afghan-Pakistan.php

"Several hundred Pakistani families have fled to neighboring Afghanistan in recent days to escape the turmoil in their country, officials said Wednesday...

"Clearly, we're very interested with what's going on over there — we're watching it pretty closely," Schweitzer told Pentagon reporters.

He said that so far, commanders haven't seen any significant rise in cross-border activity in his area bordering the lawless tribal region of northwest Pakistan, though 300 or 400 refugee families have crossed into Afghanistan.

"We have not see a significant threat emerging," Schweitzer said in a joint video press conference from Afghanistan with Arsallah Jamal, the governor of Khost province..."