Cross-border tensions in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda militants erupted into the open on Wednesday as Pakistan's frontline commander issued a stinging rebuke to the top US general in Afghanistan.
Lieutenant General Safdar Hussain, who leads 70,000 troops in the lawless tribal belt, described as "highly irresponsible" comments by Lieutenant General David Barno that Pakistan was about to launch a fresh anti-terrorist operation.
"He should not have made that statement. It was a figment of his imagination. There is no bloody operation going on until we have the right intelligence," he told reporters at his headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
The rift underscored Pakistani sensitivities about its military cooperation with the US, which is unpopular across the country and particularly among the conservative northern Pashtun tribes.
"I don't want to give the nation the impression that Barno can come down here and dictate the operation," he said.
In response, Lieutenant Cindy Moore, a coalition spokeswoman in Kabul, said: "Coalition and Pakistani forces share a common enemy in the global war on terrorism."
Pakistan cooperates in operations to corner al-Qaeda fugitives hiding along the 2,250km border but vehemently rejects suggestions that US troops should be allowed to cross into its territory.
Pakistani troops opened fire on a joint US-Afghan patrol that strayed across the border on Jan. 30, killing one Afghan soldier, Hussain said.
"We warned them `you are in Pakistan, please go back' through a loudhailer, and fired warning shots in the air. They kept going. Thereafter we opened up on them," he said.
He confirmed that the CIA was operating remote surveillance posts near the border, but said its agents were not allowed to roam the tribal areas "for their own safety and security."
The tensions may stem from a combination of US impatience to accelerate the hunt for al-Qaeda militants, and Pakistani reticence to further anger the tribesmen sheltering them.
"There is a lot of anti-Americanism in the tribal belt, and al-Qaeda knows how to take advantage of it," said Talat Masood, a retired general.
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