AP: U.S. Forces Pursue Taliban Into Pakistan

[Eugene]

U.S. Forces Pursue Taliban Into Pakistan

By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, March 1, 2007

(03-01) 18:31 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) --

American forces on Afghanistan's eastern border routinely fire upon and pursue Taliban
enemies into Pakistan, defense officials told Congress on Thursday, offering the most
detailed description to date of U.S. action in that region.

They said the Taliban threat is greater now than it was a year ago, and they agreed
that the Pakistan government can and must do more to get at the large, ungoverned
sectors along the remote Pakistan border that are safe havens for Taliban insurgents.

"We have all the authorities we need to pursue, either with (artillery) fire or on the
ground, across the border," said Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute told the Senate Armed Services
Committee. Lute, who is chief operations officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said
soldiers can respond if there is an imminent threat. But he said they would have to seek
the Pakistan government's permission to go after a munitions factory further inside the
Pakistani border.

-snip-

Lute, meanwhile, provided a detailed description of when U.S. forces can fire on and
pursue insurgents across the border into Pakistan. He said they can respond when faced
with a hostile act, or anyone "demonstrating hostile intent." The final decision is made
by the commander at the scene.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/03/01/national/w154434S85.DTL

[maddezmom]

1. so Mushy gave cheney the okay

not sure this will play well for Musharaff

[atreides1]

4. Just wait

I expect that the Taliban will set up an ambush and capture some hapless Americans, all they have to do is to put the bait out there and the fish will take and get hooked.

It's just a matter of time!

[Breeze54]

2. I heard this on PBS Newshour earlier tonight....

Here we go!! :grr: :grr: WWIII !

[Richard Steele]

3. Vietnam redux....except, this time, Cambodia has nuclear weapons.

Gee Wally, how could this possibly not end in complete victory?

[ohio2007]

7. Kinda like bombing "half a bridge"

as ordered by a previous president during the Korean 'police action'

[Igel]

5. Hot pursuit.

I tried digging as much as possible on the Internet into the old doctrine of hot pursuit--you can chase assailants across international borders, or move pre-emptively given an immediate threat--but it's come into question recently, i.e., in the last 40 years or so.

It was always iffy--weaker countries that have trouble policing their territory or countries that find it profitable or advantageous to allow groups to stage attacks from their territory tend to hate the doctrine. In terms of theory it runs into problems because sovereignty is the last bastion against assault from outside. But that bit of theoretical rambling leads to a greater problem: If somebody's attacking from your neighbor's territory, if 'hot pursuit' is ruled out that leaves full invasion or sanctions, something that can be difficult in many cases; in the case of Pakistan, the problem's a bit different since the "honored one" Musharraf is far from being the darling of the Islamists that are staging the attacks, to attack Pakistan would be to dispose of a fairly weak ally.

[Eugene]

6. AP: Pakistan Blasts Border Pursuit Claim

Pakistan Blasts Border Pursuit Claim

By MUNIR AHMAD
The Associated Press
Saturday, March 3, 2007; 5:37 AM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan vehemently denied Saturday the U.S. military's claim
that coalition forces in Afghanistan have the authority to pursue Taliban fleeing across
the border into Pakistani territory.

"There is no authorization for hot pursuit of terrorists into our territory," Maj. Gen.
Waheed Arshad, spokesman for the Pakistan Army, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
"Whatever actions are needed to fight terrorism, we are taking them."

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry rejected an assertion by Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, chief operations
officer for the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, that his forces routinely fire on and pursue
Taliban into Pakistan.

"No foreign forces are allowed to cross into our territorial border," said Ministry spokeswoman
Tasnim Aslam. "Pakistan and United States are partners in the war on terror _ not adversaries."

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/03/AR2007030300307.html

[ohio2007]

8. categorically denied

is giving tacit approval

[bobthedrummer]

9. General and Mrs. Lute are another interesting husband/wife "team"

While as he's the operations guy there, and has parroted the BFEE line many times, his wife, Jane Holl Lute, is the UN's Assistant Secretary for peacekeeping operations (she was also a US Army officer)

Jane Holl Lute is also a member of The Aspen Institute Strategy group working on things with Brent Scowcroft et al.

General Douglas Lute bio from JCS
http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_lute.html

Of course the BFEE have "assets" that fire into and pursue anyone into Pakistan or anywhere else.