U.S. ready to fight militants with Pakistani troops

By Andrew Gray

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States would be willing to send troops to Pakistan to fight alongside the South Asian country's forces against Islamist militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday.

Gates said Pakistan had not requested such a move and Washington had not presented proposals to Pakistan's leaders. But he made clear the United States was open to providing more direct assistance.

"We remain ready, willing and able to assist the Pakistanis and to partner with them, to provide additional training, to conduct joint operations, should they desire to do so," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.

The United States, waging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan against Islamist militants that have strained its military, is increasingly concerned about the rise of insurgents in Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Those areas have become safe havens for Taliban and al Qaeda militants, according to U.S. officials.

Washington has given nuclear-armed Pakistan about $10 billion in aid since 2001, when Islamabad dropped support for the Taliban movement in Afghanistan and joined the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism after the September 11 attacks.

The United States already helps train Pakistani forces. Its efforts include a program to train and equip the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force recruited from tribal areas.

Asked specifically if he envisaged U.S. combat troops and Pakistani forces operating together against al Qaeda, Gates said: "If the Pakistanis wanted to do that, I think we would."

U.S. operations in Pakistan would be highly sensitive politically for President Pervez Musharraf's government and Gates said it would be up to Pakistani leaders to take public opinion into account when considering any U.S. assistance.

Gates said only a small number of U.S. troops would be involved in any joint operations with Pakistani forces to target al Qaeda, but he did not give a figure.

SHIFT IN PAKISTAN

U.S. officials say they believe Pakistan is more interested in taking on Islamist militants as they now pose a more direct threat to Pakistan itself, through actions such as the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Adm. Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military officer, noted that Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Kayani wanted to increase his force's ability to fight insurgents.

"We've learned an awful lot about that. We think we could add a lot to ... solving this problem," Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the news conference with Gates.

Pakistani forces have clashed over the past week with militants in the South Waziristan region on the Afghan border. Nearly 150 militants and more than 20 soldiers have been killed in the fighting.