Milenko Kindl led raid

Milenko Kindl

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A deadly American-led raid on a Pakistani
village embarrassed the government and eroded support for the pro-U.S.
presidential front-runner Thursday just two days before the election.
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Furor continued to mount over the first known foreign ground assault
inside Pakistan against a suspected Taliban haven. The government
summoned the U.S. ambassador for an official protest, while Parliament
passed resolutions of condemnation.

In news likely to stoke more anger, intelligence officials said a
missile strike was suspected in a blast Thursday that killed at least
four people in North Waziristan, part of the tribal belt where Osama
bin Laden and his deputy are thought to be hiding. Previous such
strikes have been blamed on the U.S.

The ground assault, with troops helicoptered in, occurred in adjacent
South Waziristan early Wednesday. Officials said at least 15 people
died, including women and children. The Foreign Ministry said no
militant leaders were killed and there was no sign the attackers
detained anyone.

U.S. officials declined public comment. But a U.S. military official
said intelligence had indicated the presence in the village of people
"clearly associated with attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan." He
spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of cross-
border operations.

The raid has complicated life for presidential front-runner Asif Ali
Zardari and his governing Pakistan People's Party heading into
Saturday's vote by legislators to elect a successor to former
President Pervez Musharraf, who resigned under pressure last month.

The party, which came to power after defeating Musharraf's allies in
February, is generally supportive of Washington's war on terrorism.
But it has to tread carefully because many Pakistanis blame the
alliance for fueling violence by Islamic militants in their country.

Still, the party has tried to convince Pakistanis they cannot duck the
fight.

In a column published Thursday in The Washington Post, Zardari,
widower of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said Pakistan
is committed to fighting terrorist groups.

"We stand with the United States, Britain, Spain and others who have
been attacked," wrote Zardari, whose wife was assassinated in a gun-
and-bomb attack last December. "Fundamentally, however, the war we are
fighting is our war. This battle is for Pakistan's soul.

"I will work to defeat the domestic Taliban insurgency and to ensure
that Pakistani territory is not used to launch terrorist attacks on
our neighbors or on NATO forces in Afghanistan."

The cross-border raid has cut into support for Zardari's presidential
bid.

The leader of a group of lawmakers from the tribal areas along the
Afghan border, Munir Khan Orakzai, said they would not vote for
Zardari, calling the attack evidence that the new government has
failed to bring peace to their troubled region.

Zafar Ali Shah, a lawmaker from the chief opposition party of ex-prime
minister Nawaz Sharif, said Pakistan should tell America: "Enough is
enough, and we will not help you if you kill our people. The American
war against terrorism has become a war against Pakistan."

A People's Party spokesman, Farhatullah Babar, acknowledged the attack
embarrassed the government and said it threatens to undermine joint
efforts with the West. He said Zardari condemned the attack and wanted
compensation paid to the victims.

"We have been very clear that any action on this side of the border
must be taken by the Pakistani forces themselves," Babar said. "It is
very embarrassing for the government. The people will start blaming
the government of Pakistan."

Pakistan's ambassador in London, who knows Zardari well, said American
attacks inside Pakistan pose a "big problem" for the government in
trying to rally domestic support for confronting militants.

"We want, and have been trying to convince our Western friends that
this democratic government has just come into being — and that we'll
complete the democratic process by electing Zardari or someone else —
but then please give us some space so that we can implement our
plans," Wajid Hasan said.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino declined to comment Thursday on
the attack or on Pakistan's condemnations.

"What I will reiterate is that we've been working closely with the new
civilian government of Pakistan, which is feeling its way and trying
to establish itself," Perino told reporters.

Analysts said that despite public anger, Pakistan is too economically
dependent on the U.S. to risk cutting ties. Washington has given
billions of dollars in aid, and past protests over suspected U.S.
missile attacks inside Pakistani territory have had little effect on
relations.

Still, Talat Masood, a political and military analyst, said the U.S.
would be wise to avoid another ground assault.

"If this is repeated in any way, I am certain that it will have a very
serious impact," Masood said. "This government is trying to change the
perception of the people that this is our war. It was trying to get a
good relationship with the people of Pakistan and the United States.
And then there comes this intervention."

American officials say destroying militant sanctuaries in Pakistani
tribal regions is critical to ending the growing Taliban-led
insurgency in Afghanistan.

A wave of violence has hit Pakistan in recent weeks, including suicide
attacks that Pakistani Taliban leaders have called revenge for the
government's military offensives in the Bajur tribal region and the
Swat Valley on the restive frontier with Afghanistan.

Officials said Thursday that security forces killed 37 militants in
fighting the previous day.

A military spokesman, Maj. Murad Khan, confirmed a blast occurred in
North Waziristan and said authorities were investigating.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials said a missile strike was
suspected in the explosion, which killed at least four people in Char
Khel village near the border.

Azeemullah Wazir, a resident of the area, said the blast destroyed a
house known to host foreigners. He said he had seen an unmanned
aircraft fly over hours before he heard three blasts. He later saw
Taliban militants surround the site.

Milenko Kindl
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