U.S. praises Pakistan handling of Swat crisis

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The United States' top military officer on Thursday praised Pakistan's handling of the humanitarian crisis resulting from an assault on Taliban strongholds in the northwest.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited one of several camps set up to provide shelter for families among the two million people who fled their homes after fighting broke out in the Swat and Buner valleys last April.

"There had been great speculation that this was going to be a massive problem that couldn't be handled," Mullen told reporters at the sprawling Jalozai camp in the northwest city of Mardan, where some 116,000 people have taken refuge.

"It seemed to be very well handled," said Mullen, whose visit came days after authorities began to let families go home.

Pakistan's Western allies were relieved when the army swung into action in April as concern mounted over the stability of the nuclear-armed Muslim state.

The army is now in the final stages of the Swat operation, and has orders to mount a campaign against Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud in the remote, mountainous Waziristan tribal region that borders Afghanistan.

Having met army chief General Ashfaq Kayani earlier on Thursday, Mullen said he didn't believe Pakistani forces risked becoming over-stretched and said the approach to Waziristan appeared "very orderly."

Air strikes and medium range artillery have been used to soften up Mehsud's defences, and U.S. drones also have begun targeting Mehsud territory more frequently in recent weeks.

Mullen saw Mehsud coming under mounting pressure.

WAZIRISTAN UNCERTAINTIES

Diplomats in Islamabad are speculating whether Pakistan wants to wait for the United States to deploy more troops on the Afghan side of the border before launching an all-out assault on Mehsud.

President Barack Obama's administration has made Afghanistan its top military priority. U.S. troop strength there is due to more than double from 32,000 to 68,000 this year, along with 36,000 troops from other Western allies.

Al Qaeda deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri, in an audio-recording posted on an Islamist website on Wednesday, urged Pakistanis to join a jihad against the United States and its allies within the Pakistani political and military leadership.

By mid-July, the death toll for foreign troops in Afghanistan stood at 46, matching the total for worst month in the eight-year-old war.

U.S. officials say Mehsud has trained many of the suicide bombers attacking Western and Afghan forces.

But Pakistan blames him for a wave of violence that has engulfed the country since late 2007, including the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The timing of an attack on Mehsud's stronghold has been complicated by Pakistani concern over whether Taliban factions from other tribes in the Waziristan region will come to Mehsud's assistance or remain focused on fighting Western forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Opening a campaign in Waziristan is a different prospect from the one in Swat, where there were around 5,000 militants present, of which only 2,000 were regarded as hard core fighters.

Mehsud is reckoned to have between 20,000 and 30,000 fighters, while two other Taliban commanders whose support hangs in the balance have around 5,000 men each, according to an Islamabad-based diplomat with knowledge of military affairs.

(Editing by Nick Macfie)