Zardari's First Test & Haqqani's Spin

Compare these two reports and guess who will blink first.


WASHINGTON — President Bush secretly approved orders in July that for the first time allow American Special Operations forces to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the prior approval of the Pakistani government, according to senior American officials. The classified orders signal a watershed for the Bush administration after nearly seven years of trying to work with Pakistan to combat the Taliban and Al Qaeda, and after months of high-level stalemate about how to challenge the militants’ increasingly secure base in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

American officials say that they will notify Pakistan when they conduct limited ground attacks like the Special Operations raid last Wednesday in a Pakistani village near the Afghanistan border, but that they will not ask for its permission.“The situation in the tribal areas is not tolerable,” said a senior American official who, like others interviewed for this article, spoke on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the missions. “We have to be more assertive. Orders have been issued.” Bush Said to Give Orders Allowing Raids in Pakistan

“There is no question of any agreement or understanding with the coalition forces whereby they are allowed to conduct operations on our side of the border”, the COAS said. He said that the rules of engagement with the Coalition Forces are well-defined and within that, the right to conduct operations against the militants inside own territory is solely the responsibility of the respective armed forces. The COAS reiterated the need for a collaborative approach for better understanding of a highly complex issue. He said that trust-deficit and misunderstandings could lead to more complications and increase the difficulties for all. The constraints of operating in these areas must never be lost sight of. No foreign operation to be allowed: Kayani

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And now our man in DC says: “US officials have assured me not to launch strikes on Taliban hideouts by US-led NATO forces within Pakistan territory” denouncing those repots published in US newspapers that declared President Bush’s silent approval to extend ground strikes against Taliban hideouts in Pakistan.

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So the spin game is on.