New York: As Pakistan stepped up military operations to flush out Taliban militants from NWFP's Buner district, the army is set to move 6,000 troops from its Indian border to its western frontier with Afghanistan, a news report has said.
The 6,000 troops to be shifted had originally been on Pakistan's western border but were sent to the Indian border in December, after the November Mumbai terror attacks in which nearly 170 people were killed. The carnage had led to war of words between the two nation, and analysts feared that India
could be pushed into taking military actions against terror outfits based in Pakistan.
The promised redeployment, which will essentially return Pakistan's military presence in the northwest to pre-Mumbai levels, comes as American and Pakistani officials are preparing for "tense meetings" in Washington next week
between President Obama, President Zardari and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, the New York Times said.
India had massed troops on the Pakistani border after the terror attacks, which Indian and American officials concluded was planned in Pakistan and carried out its nationals.
After a week of strong criticism, the Pakistan Army deployed fighter jets and helicopter gunships to push back hundreds of Taliban militants who overran the Buner, just 100 km from Islamabad.
However, American officials, who welcomed the redeployment, said Pakistan was still not doing enough to fight the insurgents, who are tightening their hold on the country, the US daily reported.
Comments
0 comment