WASHINGTON: U.S. commandos attacked an al-Qaeda target in Pakistan this week in an operation that could signal more intense American efforts to thwart militant attacks in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Thursday. The raid follows growing frustration among U.S. officials, who said Pakistan has not done enough to combat militants operating in the shared border area despite a recent increase in Pakistani operations that have drawn violent reprisals. While U.S. officials would not comment on either the commando raid or the missile strike, which occurred as Pakistan prepared to elect a new president on Saturday, the Pentagon said the United States would pursue its enemies. "We are going to pursue terrorists wherever they operate, plan their operations, try to seek safe harbor," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. By hitting militants in Pakistan, officials and analysts said the United States hopes to inhibit their activities by subjecting them to an atmosphere of constant threat.
"You get a change in behavior because they have to move constantly, there's no security. The sanctuary aspects of Pakistan are very sharply reduced," said Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. As President George W. Bush prepares to leave office in four months, both of his would-be successors, Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, have stressed the need for Pakistan to focus on security.
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