'US move exposes its intentions'

The decision to withdraw troops from Afghanistan's Paktika and Khost provinces, thereby allowing militants to escape or seek reinforcement from the other side of the Pakistan border clearly exposes the US intentions, says a security expert.

"Such acts clearly show what Americans want and what their intensions are. It is an effort to make weaken and destabilize Pakistan," ex-secretary Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and expert in tribal issues, (R) Brigadier Mehmood Shah told rediff.com.

Following militants' audacious attacks over government sensitive installations around the country, the Pakistan Army started an offensive Rah e Najaat  (Path of Salvation) against TTP in South Waziristan on last Saturday (October 17).

The Army is targeting Taliban hideouts in Makeen and Shakia areas in South Waziristan Taliban is mostly relying, during this war, on Afghan Taliban especially in the nearby Paktika and Khost provinces; either to escape or to get reinforcement from.

Shah said, "The US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should not remove troops from Paktika and Khost provinces, as Taliban of both side of Durand Line are in good relations who help each others. Hakimullah-led militants could rush to Afghanistan and Taliban from Afghanistan could come to Waziristan to fight Pakistani security forces. The only way of defeating the militants, is to guard the borders from Afghanistan side but instead of deploying more troops the US and NATO are pulling out their forces from Paktika and Khost. This decision has shocked many and one could clearly see the US' intentions of making Pakistan vulnerable to the extremists."