ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Pakistani militants are moving from lawless tribal regions under attack from Islamabad to cities in the country's heartland, security experts say.
U.S. and Pakistani officials say the move by insurgents to establish smaller cells within Pakistani cities is an unintended consequence of the largely successful campaigns by the Pakistani army and unmanned CIA aircraft in tribal regions such as South Waziristan, The Washington Post reported Saturday.
Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, a security-oriented think tank, told the Post: "Now they're all over -- Afghanistan, North Waziristan and inside Pakistan. They have scattered their network and structure. It's easy for many of them to hide in Punjab or Karachi."
Pakistani officials reportedly say they're doing all they can to prevent terrorism in such areas as Punjab province, where a wave of attacks have been blamed on fighters who have fled the tribal areas.
But, the Post said, U.S. intelligence officials have been frustrated by opposition from the Pakistani government to expanding their use of drone strikes beyond the tribal belt. Citing unnamed officials, it reported that targeting outside the tribal zone for drone attacks could produce a powerful anti-American backlash in the country.
Source:upi.com/
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