Acknow-ledging positive results of the recent Pakistani anti-terrorism efforts, the Pentagon has renewed the US pledge to provide security and economic assistance to the key regional ally striving to overcome challenges in the two fields. Press Secretary Geoff Morrell has also said intelligence indicates that wanted Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud is no longer alive.
"We have been very heartened lately over the past couple of months by how aggressively they have been going after terrorists, particularly in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and now in South Waziristan. And we think that there clearly have been positive results, as - that have come of this," he told a briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
He said that the United States works "closely with the Pakistani government to ensure that they have the tools necessary to implement an effective counterinsurgency."
In answer to a question about the need to win hearts and minds of the Pakistani people he stated, "we must manifest to the Pakistani government and the its people that we are there for the long haul, that we are not going to abandon them again as we did years ago when the Pressler Amendment sort of froze us out of contacts with the Pakistani government and military."
"So that's why this government is very much encouraging for the - I think the Kerry - it's - I think it's the Kerry-Lugar Amendment, now, to be passed, which would provide a baseline of support over five years, several billion dollars that would go to support the Pakistani government and their ability to bring about positive changes for their people.
"So that's how we demonstrate to the people of Pakistan that we are their partners and that we are there for the long-term," the spokesman stated. Asked about Secretary of Defence Robert Gates' position on the death of top militant Mehsud in a missile attack last week, he replied: "I think that the secretary would probably fall under the same camp as (Nationals Security Adviser) General (James) Jones, who I think spoke to a number of the Sunday shows a couple days ago, and his assessment was that there is a 90-percent certainty at this point that, indeed, Baitullah Mehsud has met his demise."
Morrell noted that the Secretary like others in government are operating under the assumption at this point that "indeed he (Mehsud) is no longer a threat to the Pakistani people." He contested the credibility of Taliban claims about Mehsud being alive. "Well, I would - the credibility of these pretenders to his - to his - to his role as a - as a insurgent leader in Pakistan, I think, is probably very much lacking.
"And I think if they really wanted to convince anybody that Baitullah Mehsud was still alive, they would probably do as many people do, which is offer some sort of proof of life. But I don't think that they've been - they are in a position to do so. "And so we are operating on the assumption, and it's not just an assumption. Obviously we have intelligence that would lead us to believe that there is a 90 percent certainty that he is no longer living."
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