WASHINGTON, Feb 5: Pakistan has joined a coalition planning group which advises US Central Command on the war against terrorism and could also play a key advisory role if the United States goes to war against Iraq.

Besides Pakistan, the 20-nation group also includes Britain, Germany, France, Turkey, and Qatar. Some of them render unstinted support to US war efforts around the globe while others — like France and Germany — are opposing an expected US military offensive against Iraq.

Military officers from these 20 countries are already based at the CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, as part of Gen Tommy R. Franks’ staff. The general heads the US Central Command that stretches from the Horn of Africa into Central Asia. He is also expected to lead the US offensive against Iraq.

In an interview to the Boston Globe newspaper at the Macdill Air Force base in Florida, Gen Franks said foreign military officers on his staff will help plot the next steps of Operation Enduring Freedom, adding that this is a model that could lend itself to future operations.

“Their purpose is to represent a consultative body that I can go to, to ask them to put coalition eyes on a particular problem and recommend solution sets,” said Gen Franks. “This consultative process had “never been done before.”

“We’ll see what the payoff of that sort of function may turn out to be,” he added.

The general said the decision to form a coalition consultative group emanated from CENTCOM’s experience in Afghanistan where it realized that military expertise of the allied nations could be a useful tool in the war against terror.

Gen Franks identified several other Enduring Freedom lessons that could be applied elsewhere. In several cases, they involved apparently routine matters — how to operate as a coalition and establish work hours, proper “battle rhythm,” and schedules. He said that coalition building involves not simply military officials, but the entire US government, from military officers to intelligence officials to diplomats.