AFPAK failure has nuclear consequence

WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- Leaders at the upcoming G8 summit must address the potential nuclear consequence of failing to defeat the threats in Pakistan and Afghanistan, a scholar notes.

Mustafa abu al-Yazid, an al-Qaida general leading the insurgency in Afghanistan, told Arabic news network al-Jazeera that Islamic radicals would soon take control in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Yazid promised that overrunning the government in Islamabad would also mean assuming control of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal, which he promised to turn "against the Americans."

Lingering instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan is exploited by al-Qaida and its affiliates, with June the deadliest month in Afghanistan in years and Pakistani terrorist incidents mounting.

Radical jihadists operating in the region see victory on the horizon as Kabul and Islamabad continue to falter, while U.S. and NATO forces grow battle-weary amid a growing distaste for blood, writes Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution.

Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in an audio tape in early June warned of a pending rout for Pakistani forces in the volatile tribal regions, saying access to Pakistan's nuclear weapons will follow the defeat.

Riedel warns that the foreign ministers gathering in July for the G8 summit in Italy must confront this threat with all available resources in order to defeat al-Qaida and its regional affiliates.

"We do not have the luxury of further neglect," he warns. "Al-Qaida has told us clearly what the consequences of defeat are -- nuclear Armageddon."