'Poisonous snakes' in Pak backyard biting neighbours: US

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Mar 16 (PTI) Top US lawmakers and Pentagon
voiced concern over Pakistan allowing "poisonous snakes" to
exist in its own backyward during the war on terror and said
they are crossing the border and biting its "neighbours."
Concerned over Pakistan's less than enthusiastic
response towards the fight agaisnt terror, they warned that
sooner or later the "poisonous snakes" will turn around and
cause problems to the country itself if they are given
sanctuary.
"There is, I think, a growing recognition that you
cannot allow poisonous snakes to have a nest in your backyard,
even if they just bite the neighbour's kids, because sooner or
later they're going to turn around and cause problems in your
backyard," General David Petraeus, Commander of US and NATO
forces in Afghanistan told lawmakers.
"I think that sadly has proven to be the case,” he
underlined at a Congressional hearing.
Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the powerful Senate
Armed Services Committee, said it was urgent to find ways to
impress upon Pakistan that "their backyard is a backyard where
snakes are permitted to continue to exist". "And those snakes
are crossing the border."
Michele Flournoy, Under Secretary of Defense for
Policy, said the Obama adminstration was "having extremely
candid conversations about our expectations of what we would
like to see our Pakistani partners do in areas like North
Waziristan and elsewhere."
"We are also continuing to apply as much pressure as
we can both from the Afghan side of the border and also in
terms of pressure on Al Qaida senior leadership in the border
regions," Flournoy said.
Petraeus and Flournoy told Senators at the hearing
on the presence of terrorist safe heavens, to which the
lawmakers expressed their grave concerns.
"You both have made reference to Pakistan and the safe
havens which exist there, with the Pakistan government
basically looking the other way in two key areas, that's North
Waziristan and down in Quetta, where they know where those
people are who are crossing the border and terrorizing Afghan
citizens, attacking us, attacking Afghan forces, coalition
forces," Levin said.
Pakistan may be looking the other way, "but I don't
think we can look the other way about what they are not doing
in those areas," he said.
"So I would ask you both, what, if anything more, can
we do to persuade the Pakistanis to be the hammer, which I
think you made indirect reference to, General Petraeus, so
that when those forces cross the border, we can be the anvil?”
Levin asked.
Petraeus said there is considerable pressure on Al
Qaida and on the Haqqani network in North Waziristan.
The recent Pakistan Army's campaign there has
disrupted significantly the activities of those groups.
"Additional steps must be taken to end the safe havens
that insurgents use in Pakistan which impact on Afghanistan
security," Levin said.
Though Pakistan deserves praise for some steps it has
taken to fight Al Qaida and Taliban groups on the Pakistani
side of the border, Senator John McCain said effective way
needs to end Pakistan's support for terrorist groups that
target US and its partners.