Pakistan ground assault marks new strategy

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The United States, having sent troops on a raid into Pakistan, may be employing a new strategy against militants staging attacks on Afghanistan.

The raid Wednesday near Angoor Adda in Pakistan's tribal South Waziristan by helicopter-borne American Special Operations forces attacked suspected al-Qaida militants near the border with Afghanistan, the International Herald Tribune reported, quoting American officials.

"What you're seeing is perhaps a stepping up of activity against militants in sanctuaries in the tribal areas that pose a direct threat to United States forces and Afghan forces in Afghanistan," one senior American official told the Herald Tribune. "There's potential to see more."

The newspaper reported it was the first publicly acknowledged incident of U.S. forces conducting a ground raid on Pakistani soil. It may be the first step of a much wider campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaida as part of a secret plan U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been advocating for months, the Herald Tribune said. The U.S. Special Operations forces are not under the NATO command as are other American soldiers, the newspaper noted.

The South Waziristan assault drew strong condemnation from Pakistan.

But a Taliban commander was quoted as claiming Pakistani military took no action even though the attack occurred near a Pakistani military position.