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WASHINGTON – Pakistan's reported decision to relocate thousands of troops away from the Afghanistan border toward India threatens the critical U.S. foreign policy aim of relying on the south Asian ally's military in the global battle against terrorism.President-elect Barack Obama 's campaign promise to turn around the stalemated war in Afghanistan could be the first casualty of Pakistan's latest moves, and the frustrated American effort to decimate al-Qaida may be the second.Pakistan's sudden military shift catches two administrations in mid-transition, presenting Obama with a dangerous spike in tension that his predecessor has been unable to prevent.As President George W. Bush found out, the United States can't wage either fight alone and can't always persuade even well-meaning allies to set aside their own agendas and domestic politics.To win in Afghanistan rather than merely hold ground, the United States and its allies must find a way to seal off the militants' redoubts across the forbidding mountainous border with Pakistan. The U.S. can't do that without Pakistan's help, and Pakistani and Afghan militants know it.Bush administration officials have been shuttling to New Delhi and Islamabad for weeks following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, pleading with both sides not to let well-founded suspicions that the attacks originated in Pakistan become an excuse for new conflict. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, and enmity against the other has been an organizing principle for leaders of each nuclear-armed country.If Pakistan yanks fighting forces away from what the U.S. considers the good war against terrorism in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, it will bear out U.S. fears of a ripple effect and show how easily militants can exploit the old rivalry."We hope that both sides will avoid taking steps that will unnecessarily raise tensions during these already tense times," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Friday...AP Military Writer Anne Gearan covers U.S. national security affairs.
Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor, Pamela Hess and Sebastian Abbot contributed to this report.
Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor, Pamela Hess and Sebastian Abbot contributed to this report.
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