Bush approves ground assaults inside Pakistan

NEW YORK - President George W Bush secretly approved orders in July allowing US special forces for the first time to carry out ground assaults inside Pakistan without the approval of Pakistan government, The New York Times reported on Thursday.

The classified orders reflect concern about safe havens for Al-Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan, as well as an American view that Pakistan lacks the will and ability to combat militants, the newspaper said in a dispatch from Washington.

“The situation in the tribal areas is not tolerable,” said a senior US official who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity. “We have to be more assertive. Orders have been issued.”

The newspaper said the orders also illustrated lingering distrust of the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies and a belief some US operations had been compromised once Pakistanis were advised of the details.

US officials told the Times they would notify Pakistan when they conduct limited ground attacks like the special operations raid last week in a Pakistani village near the Afghanistan border, but they would not ask for its permission.