Pakistan Security Brief

Pakistan Security Brief – September 10, 2009 

Pakistan president Zardari rejected the linking of policies on Pakistan and Afghanistan in a recent speech; clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants in the Swat valley on Wednesday left a soldier and ten militants dead after military operations; the Pentagon has requested authority from Congress to transfer unused equipment from Iraq to Afghanistan.

• Pakistani president Asif Zardari made a speech in which he rejected the Obama administration’s strategy of “linking the policy on Pakistan and Afghanistan.” The comments reflect “an unwillingness to be aligned in a joint policy framework with neighbouring Afghanistan, an approach referred to as ‘AfPak.’”[1]
   
• The Pentagon is considering the transfer of U.S. military equipment no longer needed in Iraq to the Pakistani military for use against the Taliban in Waziristan. The transfer request has been coolly received in Congress which has raised questions regarding safeguards to ensure the equipment is not diverted for use against India.[2]
   
• A soldier and ten militants were killed on Wednesday in clashes between the Swat Taliban and Pakistani security forces in the Swat valley. Security forces also claim to have arrested forty-one militants as part of their ongoing operations in the region.[3]