U.S. says it might attack in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- An ambush of a military convoy that killed 17 troops near the Afghan border Wednesday pushed the death toll in a series of attacks to at least 119 Pakistanis in the past six days -- and brought President Pervez Musharraf, according to a local newspaper headline, to a "Moment of Truth."

The Bush administration, after publicly demanding that Musharraf rein in militants linked to al-Qaida, threatened Wednesday to launch attacks into Pakistani territory if it sees fit.

White House press secretary Tony Snow said "there's no doubt that more aggressive steps need to be taken" against al-Qaida sanctuaries inside Pakistan. Al-Qaida's ability to maintain a safe haven in Pakistan is "something that's absolutely going to have to be addressed," he said, without discussing what the next steps might be.

"We never take options off the table, and if we find actionable targets, we're going to hit them," Snow said.

Retired Rep. Lee Hamilton, one of the leaders of the Sept. 11 commission and a White House intelligence adviser, agreed Wednesday, saying that al-Qaida's threat to the United States has reached the point where U.S. forces should "go after" terrorist sanctuaries in Pakistan.

Hamilton urged the Bush administration to launch military operations against al-Qaida operatives and suspected training camps in northwestern Pakistan as well as authorize U.S. forces to enter Pakistan to pursue al-Qaida and Taliban fighters fleeing from neighboring Afghanistan.

"I believe that it is necessary for the United States to be able to go after the sanctuaries in Pakistan," Hamilton said. "I would really not exclude anything."

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his surviving leadership cadre are believed to be hiding in the remote mountainous region of North Waziristan in the semiautonomous Federally Administrated Tribal Areas.

Musharraf signed a cease-fire with tribal leaders in the area in 2006 that inadvertently permitted al-Qaida operatives and Taliban remnants from Afghanistan to establish a safe haven.

Musharraf announced plans Tuesday for a renewed crackdown on Islamic extremists in the face of U.S. pressure and a series of attacks inside Pakistan, including the seizure of Islamabad's Red Mosque.

Musharraf recently moved thousands of Pakistani troops to volatile tribal strongholds such as North Waziristan, where a Taliban council said earlier this week it was abandoning the peace deal with the government.

Facing domestic political pressure for staying in power while in uniform -- he also is Pakistan's top general -- Musharraf has relied heavily on the United States as a source of political support. But with Washington now demanding that Musharraf use force in the tribal areas, he is struggling to appear decisive while avoiding a civilian bloodbath or more military carnage.

It was in North Waziristan that a large group of gunmen opened fire on troops Wednesday, killing 17 soldiers and wounding 13, according to military officials.

It was unclear how the militants were able to kill so many soldiers. One military official said a roadside bomb hit a convoy before the shooting started, and another said that snipers were used.

Of the 119 Pakistanis killed since Saturday, 85 have been security personnel or recruits slain in tribal regions.

The situation would seem to call for a crushing military response, especially in a part of the world where appearing weak or hesitant is often taken as an opportunity to attack.

But some Pakistanis worry that the military could be stepping into a trap, that to open up a full military assault would only embolden hard-core Islamists in an area famed for supplying the jihadist fighters who helped defeat the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s, and who are currently battling U.S. and NATO forces in that same country.

There also is concern in Pakistan that the gathering sense of crisis could prompt Musharraf to cancel elections later this year and declare a state of emergency -- despite his repeated denials.

About the writer:

• McClatchy Newspapers' Tom Lasseter can be reached at tlasseter@mcclatchydc.com. Hearst Newspapers and the Associated Press contributed to this report.