Nato Commander General David McKiernan said on Thursday that we are collecting authentic information for strikes on the al Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in the tribal belt. In a briefing in US embassy, the Nato commander told Pakistani parliamentarians about the situation in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Pakistani MPs were of the view that if the US strikes continued killing civilians in the tribal belt, US will not be able to achieve its objectives in war on terror.
Pakistani parliamentarians were for talks with Taliban and all other militant groups for establishing peace in the region, whereas the Nato commander opined that we have very credible information to carryout strikes on the al Qaeda targets near Pak-Afghan border.
The MPs informed the Nato commander that the air strikes are fuelling anti-US sentiments among the people of Fata. "If the Nato forces have any information about al Qaeda, Taliban and their leaders then they must pass it on to Pakistan to take appropriate action."
General David McKiernan agreed with the MPs that the performance of Pakistan Army in the tribal region is exemplary as they have eradicated a number of Taliban strongholds but we have to improve our intelligence sharing mechanism to make these operations more effective. He said that Nato forces are ready to help Pakistan Army as it is not possible to win war on terror without the active participation of Pakistan.