'US to increase presence in Pakistan'

Pakistan says its security forces have killed or detained hundreds of militants over the past few years

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/156222.html


Vice President Joe Biden suggests that the US is seeking increase its presence in Pakistan under the pretext that militants seek to “bring down” the Islamabad government.

"Our overarching goal and our rationale for being there is to dismantle, ultimately defeat al-Qaeda... to make sure that terrorists do not, in fact, bring down the Pakistani government, which is a nuclear power," Biden said in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" on Suinday.

The remarks come days after US President Barack Obama blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to fight terrorism in its troubled northwestern tribal belt along the Afghan border.

This is while the US planes and helicopters have increasingly violated Pakistan's airspace several times over the past months.

The unauthorized US drone attacks have drawn strong criticism from the Pakistani people and officials.

In the latest developments, several non-UN-sanctioned US drone attacks have killed at least 60 people in the Khyber Agency tribal region in the past week.

The US led the invasion of neighboring Afghanistan with the official objective of curbing militancy and bringing peace and stability to the region. Nine years on, however, the region remains unstable and militancy has expanded towards Pakistan.

Analysts say the US is looking for an excuse to expand its military operations in the troubled South Asian region to secure bases near Russia and China.

This is while senior officials in Islamabad have repeatedly said that the country's nuclear weapons are in safe hands.

Meanwhile, visiting Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in a speech to Pakistani parliament countered US criticism and urged the international community to "endorse and support" Islamabad in its fight against militancy.

"Pakistan has given great sacrifices and made great efforts in the fight against terrorism. It is a reality...and the international community should respect Pakistan's efforts," Jiabao said.