Need for joint Pak-US operations: Rice

{image-condoleezza rice_04082008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Lahore, Aug 4: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged a joint Pakistan-United States military operations to improve the deteriorating situation there as the extremists continue to be trained in Pakistan's remote and volatile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and also that the peace talks with the militants have failed.

According to Geo News and the Daily Times, Rice laid stress on immediate action in FATA based on the claim that extremists were not only being trained there, but were also using modern weapons. Saying that terrorists were a major threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, Rice, however, refused to comment on allegations that the Inter-Services Intelligence was involved in the Indian embassy blast in Kabul.

NATO and Afghan forces claim that Pakistan's peace talks with extremists have resulted in a 40 percent rise in rebel activity in Afghanistan this year compared to the same period in 2007.

While they claim that militant activity is originating from mainly from militants based in the FATA, Pakistan insists that any action on Pakistani territory is its sole prerogative.

ANI