07 March 2004	Sunday	15 Muharram 1425

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WASHINGTON, March 6: The United States was helping Pakistan carry out operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the tribal belt but there were no US troops on the Pakistani side , a senior US general said on Saturday.

Gen John Abizaid, commander-in-chief US Central Command, said that so far the US troops were only operating on the Afghan side of the border.

"We've got to ensure that we put pressure on the Taliban, pressure on Al Qaeda, not only on the Afghan side of the border, but assist any way that the Pakistanis will be comfortable with to help them in their operations as well," said the general.

In interviews to several major US television networks, the general said that the US assistance to Pakistan "to this point is primarily one of cooperation and coordination."

The operations on the Pakistani side of the border, he said, "certainly (do) not involve direct US forces' activity there are no US troops in Pakistan."

"We're conducting very robust military operations on the Afghan side of the border in areas where we think Al Qaeda is operating and Taliban remnants are," he added.

He said President Pervez Musharraf firmly supported the operations to get rid of the terrorists who are also threatening his country.

The general said he held discussions with President Musharraf "after a couple of assassination attempts against him" and was convinced that he had "a firm desire to eliminate this menace to our two nations, to try to do what we can to put more pressure against these organizations."

Gen Abizaid dismissed speculations as "incorrect" that there's pressure on the US military to catch Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden before the presidential election in the United States.

"Clearly the Secretary of Defence, my boss, would like nothing better than to get Osama bin Laden but nobody's said that to me," he said.

The general said he had "no way of knowing" if Osama could be caught before the election but "we will make it very painful for Al Qaeda between now and the end of year."

Asked to explain what he meant by making it "very painful" for Al Qaeda, Gen Abizaid said: "Being on the run, having to change the way that you do business, being unable to plan in a safe and secure environment, always looking over your shoulder, knowing that some day somebody's going to knock on your door and it's going to be your last."

Saleem Shahid adds from Quetta: Pakistani and US military officials on Saturday reviewed security measures taken by Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan.

A six-member military delegation of allied forces headed by Brigadier Garett of the United States arrived in Chaman from Kandahar by helicopter and spent two hours with their Pakistani counterparts. They also visited the border.

The Commandant of Frontier Corps, Col Basit Rana, briefed the delegation about the border situation. He informed them that Pakistan had taken strict security measures along the border. He said Afghanistan should also make such arrangements.

Col Basit said there were no Taliban or other suspects operating from Pakistan. "There is no Taliban or other suspects on Pakistani soil," he said.

"We will not allow any body or organization to use Pakistani soil against Afghanistan," the FC commandant said.

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