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US links halt in drone strikes to Pakistani army taking on Haqqanis

But, Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani refused to give any clear-cut assurance on carrying out operations in the area.

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The US has linked halting its deadly drone campaign in Pakistan's tribal belt to the military launching a full-scale operation against the powerful Haqqani network, based in North Waziristan, a media report said today.

But, Pakistan's powerful army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani refused to give any clear-cut assurance on carrying out operations in the area, The Express Tribune reported quoting unnamed officials.

The matter figured prominently during a key meeting between US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen and Kayani in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, the paper said.

The US offer to taper drone strikes comes as the top US military commander publicly expressed concern over links between Pakistani military intelligence and Haqqani network which is attacking US forces across the border in Afghanistan.

Washington for over a year has been pressing Islamabad to launch a major operation in North Waziristan where US intelligence estimates that fighters from all major terror groups like al-Qaeda, Haqqani network, Afghan Taliban and others have massed after Pakistani army operations in South Waziristhan and other tribal belts of FATA.

Mullen said the CIA-operated Predator strikes would continue their campaign until Pakistan eliminates the Haqqani network from its tribal region.

However, Kayani refused to give "any assurance or timeline" to Mullen on carrying out an all-out assault in North Waziristan, officials privy to the discussions said.

"Our position is absolutely clear that the operation in North Waziristan will be launched only if it is in the national interest," a security official, who requested not to be identified, told the daily.

Pakistan's security establishment has for long been accused of having links with the Afghan Taliban, particularly the Haqqani network.

US officials say Pakistan's reluctance to go after the deadliest Afghan militant group is the main reason the American administration has had to rely on unmanned drones to take out "high value" targets.

During interactions with the media in Islamabad on Wednesday, Mullen had warned that the military-run ISI's continued links with the Haqqani militant network are at the core of US's strained and problematic relations with Pakistan.

Kayani dismissed such perceptions, saying the military is committed to defeating extremists.

He also backed the Pakistan government's opposition to drone strikes, saying "they not only undermine our national effort against terrorism but turn public support against our efforts".

The army chief also rejected the "negative propaganda of Pakistan not doing enough" and the US administration's complaint about the Pakistan Army's "lack of clarity on the way forward".

Pakistan-US relations have been under strain due to a series of incidents, including the killing of two Pakistanis by CIA contractor Raymond Davis in January and drone attacks, one of which killed some 40 tribesmen, including members of a 'jirga'.

Despite efforts by the two countries to defuse the tension, the strains have lingered.

Both Mullen and US central command chief Gen James Mattis visited Pakistan this month, while ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha travelled to the US last week to meet CIA chief Leon Panetta.

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