US defense chief urges action on Pakistan militants
By David Morgan
CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina, April 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged the leaders of Pakistan to act against the spread of Taliban militancy, saying failure to confront the threat could affect U.S.-Pakistani relations.
In a visit on Thursday to a military installation where Marines are preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, Gates said some Pakistani leaders recognize the "existential threat" facing the country's democratic government from the Taliban.
"But it is important that they not only recognize it but take appropriate actions to deal with it," he told reporters at an outdoor briefing, as small-arms fire from a nearby training range crackled in the distance.
The Taliban's growing influence in northern Pakistan and the loss of ground of the Pakistani government has raised concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed nation.
"The stability and longevity of democratic government in Pakistan is central to the efforts of the coalition in Afghanistan and it is also central to our future partnership with the government in Islamabad," Gates added.
"We want to support them. We want to help them in any way we can. But it is important that they recognize the real threats to their country."
Gates' comments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Islamabad of abdicating to the Taliban by agreeing to impose Islamic law in the Swat valley and said Pakistan now posed a "mortal threat" to the world.
Within days of the government's announcement of the imposition of Islamic sharia law in Swat, 125 km (80 miles) northwest of Islamabad, militants forced their way into nearby Buner, closer to the capital Islamabad. They said their aim was to push their harsh version of Islam across the country.
On Thursday, unidentified gunmen attacked a convoy of Pakistani paramilitary troops who deployed to Buner and killed a policeman escorting them. [ID:nSP164600] (Reporting by David Morgan, Editing by Anthony Boadle)
CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina, April 23 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged the leaders of Pakistan to act against the spread of Taliban militancy, saying failure to confront the threat could affect U.S.-Pakistani relations.
In a visit on Thursday to a military installation where Marines are preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, Gates said some Pakistani leaders recognize the "existential threat" facing the country's democratic government from the Taliban.
"But it is important that they not only recognize it but take appropriate actions to deal with it," he told reporters at an outdoor briefing, as small-arms fire from a nearby training range crackled in the distance.
The Taliban's growing influence in northern Pakistan and the loss of ground of the Pakistani government has raised concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed nation.
"The stability and longevity of democratic government in Pakistan is central to the efforts of the coalition in Afghanistan and it is also central to our future partnership with the government in Islamabad," Gates added.
"We want to support them. We want to help them in any way we can. But it is important that they recognize the real threats to their country."
Gates' comments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accused Islamabad of abdicating to the Taliban by agreeing to impose Islamic law in the Swat valley and said Pakistan now posed a "mortal threat" to the world.
Within days of the government's announcement of the imposition of Islamic sharia law in Swat, 125 km (80 miles) northwest of Islamabad, militants forced their way into nearby Buner, closer to the capital Islamabad. They said their aim was to push their harsh version of Islam across the country.
On Thursday, unidentified gunmen attacked a convoy of Pakistani paramilitary troops who deployed to Buner and killed a policeman escorting them. [ID:nSP164600] (Reporting by David Morgan, Editing by Anthony Boadle)
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