Terrorists have significant capabilities: McCain

The terrorist attacks in Mumbai last year and that in Lahore on Monday has shown that the extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan have significant capabilities, senator John McCain has said.

"I think the attack on the police academy (in Lahore) was an indicator that the extremists have a significant capability," McCain said at a seminar on "The Path to Success in Afghanistan" organized by the Foreign Policy Initiative, a Washington-based think tank.

"The attack in Mumbai was an incredibly sophisticated operation, and it didn't get more attention in the United States because it didn't happen in the United States. But when you look at that attack and the way they orchestrated, 10 people were able -- virtually paralyzed that city for about, I think, 24 or 36 hours. I've forgotten," he said in reference to the Mumbai attack last year.

The attack on the police training academy in Lahore is another example that they are willing to die but not as suicide bombers.

"They want to take a whole lot of people with them before they go. That is shift in tactics and strategy on the part of terrorists and one that we're going to have to learn to cope with," he said.

McCain said Pakistan is of vital national security interest to the US.

"They are a nuclear-armed country. They have a very large population. Their geographic situation, all of it argues for a Pakistan strategy for Pakistan alone," he said.

However, he argued that he does not argue to the viewpoint that the road to success in Afghanistan goes through Pakistan.

"We can succeed. It will be a lot harder and a lot tougher. But we need a strategy that involves both countries. We also need a separate strategy, as regards to Pakistan by itself. I don't have to tell anybody, in this room, the political turmoil, the problems with the ISI and all of those," he said.
 
However, he observed that the positive aspect is that Pakistan still does have an elected government and a stumbling but functioning  democracy.

"And I don't see signs that the military wants to take over Pakistan again, for good reasons and practical reasons," he said.

McCain argued that the US ought to do everything it can to further democracy, encourage stability and encourage cooperation. "I would like for us to go up, not cross a line between persuasion and threats of withdrawing our assistance and our involvement, with Pakistan, because I don't think we could do that," he said. 

Observing that people in Pakistan have rejected extremists on the ballot, McCain said the extremist do not have a large base of popular support. "They don't, even in the areas where the Taliban and other extremist organizations have control. So it's not as if we are facing a Pakistani public opinion that is anything but in pursuit of the same goals that we share," he said.