US acknowledges efficacy of Zarb-e-Azb operation
APPMarch 04, 2015,
WASHINGTON – The United States has vowed continued cooperative relationship with Pakistan, with a top military general acknowledging the effectiveness of the ongoing Zarb-e-Azb operation in clearing militant strongholds in North Waziristan.
“The Pakistani military's recent operations to clear militant strongholds in North Waziristan and other FATA regions and to prevent the militants' return have achieved near-term successes,” General Lloyd J Austin, Commander of the Central Command said. In a testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, the Centcom chief also expressed support for stronger bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and noted that Pakistan-India tensions threatened regional security.
Appearing in the same hearing, Under Secretary of Defence Christine Wormuth said the United States would continue to work with Pakistan and the Central Asian states to address existing and emerging threats in the region. “Pakistan is an important partner in our fight against al Qaeda, and plays a role in Afghanistan's security. Sustained US support that recognizes positive developments in these initiatives will help to promote long-term regional stability,” Wormuth emphasized.
In his statement, Gen Austin said amidst the challenges posed by the current situation in Afghanistan is the opportunity to foster a strong relationship between the United States and Afghanistan and with other partner nations in the Central and South Asia (CASA) sub-region. “In particular, this would contribute to improved Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, which would allow for increased counter-terrorism cooperation in the region, along with possibilities for reconciliation,” the military commander, responsible for the larger Middle East operations said.
In the regional perspective, Austin noted that tension between Pakistan and India also continue to threaten regional stability and largely drives Pakistan's regional strategy, especially as it relates to Afghanistan. “Our drawdown from Afghanistan has created an opportunity to normalize our relationships with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and this may, in turn, encourage the two countries to find common ground in countering the VEOs (violent extremist organizations) operating in their border region. We are working to identify and facilitate implementation of confidence-and trust-building measures between Pakistan and Afghanistan to further reduce border tensions and increase military cooperation.”
“We have made substantial progress in our efforts to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan over the past year. We are encouraged by the leaderships' commitment to counter-insurgency operations in the FATA and openness to improve relations with Afghanistan,” he said, citing improvement in US-Pakistan relations. At the same time, he referred to challenges facing Pakistan, saying violent extremists operating in the country exploit conditions for their own purposes and hinder the security forces' ability to protect the population from terrorist attacks. The US-Pakistan military-to-military relationship continues to improve, he said. Key contributing factors are the FMF, international military education and training, and the Coalition Support Fund.
“In December 2014, we addressed respective expectations for the scope and scale of our future military-to-military engagements. We also prioritized our security cooperation at the Defence Consultative Group Conference with the goal to help Pakistan to build additional capacity in support of their counter-insurgency and CT operations and other common objectives.”
Pakistan, he said, will likely continue to face the threat of VEOs for the foreseeable future.
“Nevertheless, more positive rhetoric on Afghan-Pakistan relations from Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, combined with Afghan President Ghani's expressed desire for better relations, may foretell an effort by both sides to develop a more common view of the threat of VEOs operating in the border region.” “Of note, in response to the tragedy at the Army Public School and College in Peshawar in December of 2014, the leaders of both countries have demonstrated a desire to improve their cooperation going forward. This is encouraging and represents progress; and, US CENTCOM will continue to do our part to help strengthen and ultimately solidify this important relationship.”
Regarding US relations with Afghanistan, Austin recognized that President Ghani, CEO Abdullah, and their new government have indicated their strong desire to work with us and to continue to strengthen our partnership in the coming days. “Looking ahead, our intent is to maintain a close relationship with the Afghan government and military as we work together to preserve improved security and stability in the region. At the same time, while the size of our footprint will decrease in the coming years, our continued presence in Afghanistan will allow us to maintain much-needed pressure on al Qaeda and other extremist groups.”
