US commander lauds Pakistani efforts on militants

US General David Petraeus yesterday praised Pakistan's fight against Islamic militants as "quite impressive", saying the counter-insurgency would be studied for years to come.

General Petraeus, head of the US Central Command who helped write the Army Field Manual on counter-insurgency and is widely credited with turning around the Iraq war, said Pakistan was running a classical campaign in the Swat Valley and South Waziristan.

"This campaign is really quite impressive," he told reporters during a visit, "...and I think some of the names of the leaders involved in this will be seen as quite expert practitioners in counter-insurgency strategies."

The militant takeover of Swat and South Waziristan raised fears for the stability of Pakistan, a nuclear-armed US ally.

In April last year, the military launched a major offensive against Pakistani Taliban militants in those areas and largely cleared out the Islamist fighters after months of clashes.

General Petraeus, overseeing a surge of 30,000 US troops into neighbouring Afghanistan in an attempt to regain the momentum against the Taliban there, has said a political solution that reintegrates lower level fighters was key to stabilising the region.

Analysts say Pakistan is well placed to help since it nurtured the Taliban in the 1990s.

Pakistan's government has said it is reaching out to all levels of the Afghan Taliban, but has recently arrested a number of high-ranking commanders - including the movement's military leader and No. 2, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The effort against the Afghan Taliban operating from Pakistan is significant because the main Taliban factions, such as those led by veteran guerilla commander Jalaluddin Haqqani and Mullah Mohammad Omar, derive support from networks and bases there.

The capture of Mullah Baradar and other Taliban commanders has cheered the Americans and led to an easing of calls for the Pakistanis to do more against extremists.

General Petraeus said that any new, large-scale Pakistani offensive against groups such as the Haqqani network in the immediate future was unlikely, and that critics needed to appreciate the gains already made.

"You can only take on so many hornets' nests at one time," he said.