Militants most likely authors of future attack on US, says Mullen

Any future terror attack against US interests would most likely be carried out by militants based in Pakistan’s restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, the top US military official said on Tuesday. Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a press conference that tribal groups with ties to al Qaeda in Fata (federally administered tribal area) represent the worst security threat to the United States. “I believe fundamentally if the United States is going to get hit, it is going to come out of the planning of the leadership in the Fata – al Qaeda specifically,” he told reporters.”That is a threat to us that must be dealt with,” Mullen said of the groups sheltering in the no-man’s land between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s government, under the leadership of prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, launched peace talks in tribal areas. But Mullen said he was not satisfied with progress in subduing militants there.
The new government, Mullen said, “has significant challenges as it gets under way, and at the same time is looking to the best way to best deal with this challenge,” he said.
Insurgents who find refuge in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas regularly supply weapons and ammunition into Afghanistan, while a number of suicide bombers have come from Afghan refugee camps based in Pakistan.Mullen recognized that a solution to the problem is a long way off.
“We’re not going to solve it overnight,” Mullen said.
He continued: “There is no simple answer, no easy solution here,” but added that at all cost, “it has got to be dealt with.”