By David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. commandos attacked an al Qaedatarget in Pakistan this week in an operation that could signalmore intense American efforts to thwart militant attacks inAfghanistan, U.S. officials said on Thursday.
The Bush administration has not officially acknowledged anyinvolvement in the Wednesday attack on the South Waziristanvillage of Angor Adda that killed up to 20 people, includingwomen and children, according to Pakistani officials.
Pentagon officials, speaking on condition of anonymity,said the raid by special operations forces targeted suspectedoperatives in an effort to disrupt militant safe havens inPakistan that pose an escalating threat to U.S., NATO andAfghan forces just across the border.
The safe havens also represent a leading security threat tothe United States and U.S. allies, including European states,according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.
In a separate incident on Thursday, a missile attack by asuspected U.S. drone killed four Islamist militants and woundedfive other in nearby North Waziristan, Pakistani securityofficials and witnesses said.
Militants operating along the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderare believed to include al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, whoremains at large seven years after the September 11 attacks.
U.S. officials said activities in safe haven areas,including recruiting and training, have become bolder over thepast year while political turmoil in Pakistan led to diminishedpressure on militants from the Pakistani military.
"The question for debate has been: 'Can you allow that togo unhampered?,'" said one military official.
The raid spawned a furious response from the Pakistangovernment, which has publicly opposed any action by U.S.troops on its soil. Foreign Minister Shah Memood Qureshi saidit was a shameful violation of the rules of engagement.
But U.S. officials declined to comment on the record abouteither the commando raid or the missile strike, which occurredas Pakistan prepared to elect a new president on Saturday.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the United Statesstood ready to pursue its enemies in close cooperation withallies and partners.
"We are going to pursue terrorists wherever they operate,plan their operations, try to seek safe harbour," he said.
TACTICS SHIFT
By hitting militants in Pakistan, officials and analystssaid the United States hopes to inhibit their activities bysubjecting them to an atmosphere of constant threat.
"You get a change in behaviour because they have to moveconstantly, there's no security. The sanctuary aspects ofPakistan are very sharply reduced," said Anthony Cordesman ofthe Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
As President George W. Bush prepares to leave office infour months, both of his would-be successors -- Republican JohnMcCain and Democrat Barack Obama -- have stressed the need forPakistan to focus on security.
U.S. officials say Pakistan has not done enough to combatmilitants despite a recent increase in Pakistani militaryoperations that have drawn violent reprisals.
Wednesday's raid has been described publicly as the firstknown incursion into Pakistan by U.S.-led troops since theinvasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
But Pentagon officials said privately the presence of U.S.troops in Pakistan marked a return to tactics used by theAmerican military soon after the Afghanistan invasion.
U.S. concerns about attacks from militant bases in Pakistanprompted top U.S. military officials to meet with Pakistan'smilitary chief last week on a carrier in the Indian Ocean.
Some analysts warned U.S. military action in Pakistan coulderode the credibility of the Pakistani government in the tribalregions and inadvertently help militants destabilize thenuclear-armed country.
"It would be a serious mistake to risk the destabilizationof Pakistan to try and avert failure across the border inAfghanistan," said Stephen Biddle of the Council on ForeignRelations.
"If you think the No. 1 threat to U.S. interests at themoment is al Qaeda's acquisition of a nuclear weapon, far andaway the likeliest scenario for that to happen is some sort ofcollapse of the Pakistani government into chaos."
The United States and other allies are increasinglyconcerned about Pakistan's stability. On Wednesday, thePakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for an unsuccessfulassassination attempt on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Gray and Jeremy Pelofsky)
(Editing by David Alexander and Eric Beech)
