What if Al Qaeda and the Taliban got a hold of nuclear weapons? As they spread into Pakistan, this seems a possibility. Newsy.com follows the conversation about what the U.S. should do.
Hello I’m Charlotte Bellis and you’re watching Newsy.com.
“I am gravely concerned about the situation in Pakistan. The civilian government there right now is very fragile. We want to protect their sovereignty, but we also recognize that we have huge national security interests in making sure that you don’t have a nuclear-armed militant state.” (PBS)
That video from PBS showed U.S. President Barack Obama discussing Pakistan’s danger of losing its nuclear weapons to Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
As the insurgents spread into Pakistan, many are questioning what the U.S. should do.
The Telegraph brings us U.S. General David Petraeus:
“[He] said that “we’ve heard it all before” from the Pakistanis and he is looking to see concrete action by the government to destroy the Taliban in the next two weeks before determining the next course of action for the US.”(Telegraph)
FOX News brings an expert on Pakistan who says there isn’t too much to worry about:
“But I think the idea of these weapons falling into the wrong hands is still very improbable. The Pakistan military has begun to push back the Taliban in the northwest part of the country, and we see them engaging the Taliban. I think what General Petraus is saying is you need to sustain the momentum of that fight and get the situation under control. I think we would only have to worry if we see splits within the Pakistan military.”(FOX News)
The Washington Post says U.S. options are limited:
“Anti-American feeling in Pakistan is high, and a U.S. combat presence is prohibited. The United States is fighting Pakistan-based extremists by proxy, through an army over which it has little control, in alliance with a government in which it has little confidence.”(The Washington Post)
FOX News brings us another analyst who says:
“…our attempts to stabilize Afghanistan destabilize Paksitan. In fact, David Kilcullen, advisor to David Petraeus, actually requested the aerial drone strikes stop because they push militants deeper into Pakistan.” (FOX News)
As many debate how much the U.S. should intervene, the New York Times points out the U.S. has already given Paksitan $100 million to protect its nuclear weapons…
“But much of that effort has now petered out, and American officials have never been permitted to see how much of the money was spent, the facilities where the weapons are kept or even a tally of how many [nuclear weapons] Pakistan has produced.”(The New York Times)
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