March 24, 2008	Monday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429

WASHINGTON, March 23: Drones or pilotless planes now play a pivotal role in the US strategy for combating Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects allegedly hiding in Pakistan’s tribal territory, media reports say.

Enhanced emphasis on the use of drones follows political changes in Pakistan where a new government is set to take charge.

Reports in the US media – the Washington Post, New York Times, Newsweek and others – indicate that the US policy makers feel the new government may be more reluctant than the outgoing Musharraf regime to mount its own military strikes against the militants or allow the US military to cross over into Pakistan.

The new strategy, the reports say, can achieve the US goal of going after extremists without embarrassing the new political set-up in Islamabad. That’s why, the reports indicate, Islamabad approves this new strategy, although publicly it will continue to criticise the attacks each time it leads to civilian casualties.

However, whenever a major Al Qaeda or Taliban figure gets killed, both governments will use the success to show that the places they are targeting are used by extremists as hideouts.

Diplomatic circles in Washington, however, have noted that the new Pakistani government’s approach to the issue will be different from those of the Musharraf government which attempted a dialogue with the militants but backed out when it did not succeed.

In recent interviews with the New York Times, both Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif – the two politicians who will run the new set-up in Islamabad – have made it clear that they not only want to open a dialogue with the militants but also desire to continue it.

Washington opposes such talks, arguing that short-term peace deals with militants would help them gain time to fortify themselves, as it did in the past. But at a recent testimony before the US Congress, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acknowledged that Pakistan faced a “complex challenge” in the tribal areas.

“We have been consistently talking to the Pakistanis how they can do more and how we can help them to do more,” she said.

Diplomatic sources told Dawn that while the US administration is still wary of initiating a dialogue with the militants, it also understands that a political government has different compulsions than a military regime and therefore the new rulers in Pakistan may have to open a political channel to the militants as well.

While the US media appear unsure about the future of a political dialogue with the militants, they do point out that since January the United States has increased missile attacks at suspected terrorist targets inside Pakistan’s tribal territory.

The reports note that during the last two months CIA-operated Predator drones have hit at least three suspected hideouts of militants inside Pakistan. The attacks followed visits to Pakistan by senior US military and intelligence officials, including Mike McConnell, Gen Michael Hayden and Admiral William Fallon, who recently resigned as commander of the US forces in the region.

During these visits, they reached an understanding with the Pakistani officials that while there will be no increase in Pakistan’s military operations against militants, the United States will enhance drone attacks on the suspected targets.