White House refuses to greenlight plan for al Qaeda hunt in Pakistan

David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Raw Story
Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Since 2005, al Qaeda forces have been regrouping in the mountains of Pakistan along the Afghan border, and the Bush administration has done little to go after them.

A report in Monday’s New York Times reveals that late last year the administration developed a secret plan for Special Operations forces to enter Pakistani tribal areas and seek to capture or kill al Qaeda leaders.

However, after six months the plan has not yet received a go-ahead, and according to ABC News White House correspondent Martha Raddatz, “The [Times] report says the White House has refused to give commanders the green light to execute the plan and says turf wars and bitter disagreements between the White House and intelligence agencies are to blame.”

The Bush administration has appeared reluctant to take decisive action in Pakistan, both because the war in Iraq has had first claim on personnel and resources and out of a desire to accommodate Pakistani President Musharraf, whose government fears a tribal uprising if it acts too aggressively against the militants or allows American forces to enter the tribal areas.
FULL ARTICLE @ Raw Story