Afghanistan’s ambassador to the US supports the plan.
“The argument that we may destabilize Pakistan has taken us to where we are right now,” Ambassador Said Jawad said. “Pursuing the policy of public praise and private pressure on Pakistan doesn’t work.”
But defense officials say they are cautioning against stepping up military operations in Pakistan without specific approval from Islamabad.
They say violating Pakistani sovereignty would anger the Pakistani people and could affect US use of the country as a base from which to resupply US forces in Afghanistan.
Jawad said US and Afghan forces know the location of training camps, places Taliban extremists live and where there have been large gatherings of al-Qaeda members, but the current rules of engagement have hampered attacking those targets.
“We need to enhance the capacity of hitting these targets,” he said.
The recommendations also call for developing direct relationships with Pashtun tribes on the Pakistani side of the border. That engagement has largely been left to Pakistan’s security service, which US officials increasingly fear is riddled with extremists and militant sympathizers.
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