Close Obama aides skeptical about sustenance of Pak's offensive against Taliban

Washington, May 7 (ANI): With Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari leaving no stone unturned in assuring the United States that Islamabad is concerned by the Taliban's expanding writ and that the country's Army is pledged to flush out the extremists, top US officials have raised questions over the Pakistan military offensive.

Senior Obama aides are speculative about the success of the military offensive in Pakistan, as the army is ill suited to carry out the kind of counterinsurgency operations needed to end the Taliban fighters' control of Swat, in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).

"They're fundamentally not organized, trained or equipped for what they've been asked to do," said a senior administration official who is closely following the Pakistani military operations in Swat," The New York Times quoted a senior official who is closely following the Pakistani military operations in Swat.

He also raised questions over the sustenance of the operation.

"They will displace the Taliban for a while. But there will also be a lot of displaced persons and a lot of collateral damage. And they won't be able to sustain those effects or extend the gains geographically," the official added.

Now that the United States has clearly put forth its intentions that it would continue providing strategic support to Pakistan in the fight against terror in the region, Islamabad must also ensure the offensive turns out be real and not a mere 'token' fight. (ANI)