Plan to divide Taliban, Qaeda likely to fail

ISLAMABAD �" With senior US military and civilian officials engaged in hectic consultations with Pakistani authorities on new American plan to alienate Taliban from al-Qaeda, Pakistan’s security circles fear that this strategy could fail and resultantly further destabilize the country.

General David Petraeus, new chief of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), who concluded his two-day visit to Pakistan on Tuesday, discussed in detail with Pakistani leaders, the US plan of turning the tribesmen living on both the sides of Afghan border against the al-Qaeda and also to reach out to ‘moderate’ militants in the ranks of Taliban.