Pakistan opposes military strike: Kasuri

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Pakistanis from Miran Shah, capital of Pakistan's tribal area along Afghanistan border, collect their belongings from a shop and security post destroyed by militants, Monday.

ISLAMABAD, (Pakistan), July 24 (Agencies) : Pakistan's foreign minister Tuesday repeated an earlier warning that a US strike against Osama Bin Laden could lead to dozens of civilian deaths.
Speaking to the BBC on a US assertion that nothing can be ruled out in the fight against the al-Qaida leader, Khurshid Kasuri said his country's public opinion would be against any such military strike if Bin Laden is confirmed to be in Pakistan.
The BBC report quoted White House spokesman Tony Snow that while the United States recognised the sovereignty of Pakistan, President George Bush's administration retains the option of striking actionable targets.
Although Pakistan has claimed bin Laden is not in its territory, latest US intelligence says al-Qaida has found a sanctuary in Pakistan's tribal areas
Meanwhile: The US military has offered to provide air support and "supporting fires" for Pakistani military operations against Al-Qaeda but in the past has been rebuffed, US defense officials said Monday.
General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, disclosed the offer of US military and intelligence assistance Friday in a meeting in Schweinfurt, Germany with family members of US troops.
Pace's comments were first reported by a CNN correspondent traveling with the general. Defense officials Monday confirmed his remarks but said the offer was not new, but rather of a longstanding character.
Nevertheless, it comes amid intensifying US pressure on Musharraf to take military action against Al-Qaeda safe havens in the tribal areas along the border Afghanistan.
A US defense official who was present at the meeting in Germany said Pace talked about US military and intelligence assistance to Pakistan in the context of a long relationship with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
"He did say 'kinetic.' He also said 'intel sharing,'" said the official, referring to notes.
The official said that when asked later what he meant by "kinetic," Pace said, "Air support, supporting fires. If he
(Musharraf) were to ask, we would see how we might be able to help. I'm not predicting anything.'"
Pace said the offer did not include US ground troops. "Supporting fires" usually refers to artillery or rocket fire which could be delivered over long distances from US positions near the border.
The official said Pace insisted it was not a new offer, but "part of an ongoing dialogue." The Pakistanis have not taken up the offer in the past, the official said.
A US intelligence estimate released last week said Al-Qaeda has grown stronger and is plotting attacks against the United States from its haven in Pakistan.
White House Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend on Sunday refused to rule out a US military incursion into the remote border with Afghanistan to eradicate a resurgent Al-Qaeda militant network.
A Pakistani foreign ministry spokeswoman said Monday that any US attack on Pakistani territory would be unacceptable.
Unrest has flared in the Pakistani tribal areas since Pakistani forces stormed a mosque in Islamabad earlier this month to clear out armed Islamic militants. At least 75 people were killed in the operation.
On Monday, heavy fighting killed at least 35 Islamic militants and two government troops in a Pakistani tribal area dubbed an Al-Qaeda safe haven by Washington, the Pakistani military reported.
The US military has available fighter aircraft and bombers that routinely operate in neighboring Afghanistan.
US F-15E fighters and B-1 bombers have conducted strikes this month in Afghanistan, while other US and British aircraft have flown reconnaissance and surveillance missions, according to US Central Command.
Intelligence gathered in the border area by US satellites and drones is shared with the Pakistani military.
But relations between US and Pakistani military officials along the border have long been tense despite greater recent efforts to communicate and coordinate their movements.
No US military teams operate inside Pakistan, a Pentagon spokesman said.
But armed drones believed to be controlled by the CIA have been used in at least three missile attacks in Pakistan on Al-Qaeda targets over the past two years, sparking protests over civilian deaths.