Religious extremists threaten Pakistan’s existence: Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the US Central Command, prepares to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington —AP

WASHINGTON Religious extremists operating along the Pak-Afghan border pose a direct threat to Pakistan’s existence, the commander of US forces in the region, General David Petraeus, warned on Wednesday.During a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on US President Barack Obama’s new strategy, Gen. Petraeus also vowed to take the fight to insurgents in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.He did not explain how he planned to do so but last President Obama said that the United States would pursue ‘high-value’ terrorist targets inside Pakistan but would consult Islamabad before doing so.Also last week, Obama’s National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones indicated that the US would continue drone attacks inside Pakistan as they had proven ‘effective’ against the militants.Gen. Petraeus told the senate panel that the Taliban and al-Qaeda groups based in the border area were ‘an ever more serious threat to Pakistan’s very existence.’The Pakistani military, he said, had stepped up operations against the militants but more action was needed.The general noted that the situation in Pakistan was closely linked to that of Afghanistan, and praised President Obama’s new plan for developing a regional approach to resolve the issue was a step in the right direction.Gen. Petraeus acknowledged that the militants in Afghanistan were growing in strength but vowed to fight them ‘relentlessly and aggressively.’But Gen. Petraeus and top Defence Department official Michele Flournoy were greeted with sceptical questions from senators about how willing the Pakistani government is to fight extremists hiding in Fata.