U.S. commanders in Afghanistan have recently urged expanding the war effort, possibly including U.S. attacks on indigenous Pakistani militants inside Pakistan's tribal areas, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions.

Citing U.S. officials, the Times reported the requests had been rebuffed for now following internal Bush administration deliberations in which U.S. officials expressed fears that attacks on Pakistani radicals could foment anger within Pakistan's new government, which has been negotiating with the militants, and destabilize security there.

One Bush administration official said the Washington discussions involved President George W. Bush's top national security aides and took place earlier this year. White House and State Department spokesmen declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for the U.S. ambassador in Pakistan, Anne Patterson, the Times said.

(Article continues below)

Officials said the U.S. proposals included possible limited cross-border artillery strikes into Pakistan, missile attacks by Predator aircraft or raids by small teams of CIA paramilitary forces or Special Operations forces, according to the Times.

The newspaper reported that U.S. commanders preferred that Pakistani forces conduct such attacks, but that Pakistani military operations in the tribal areas had declined as negotiations with the militants played out.

U.S. officials in Afghanistan urging attacks in Pakistan had discussed possible targets with Patterson, the Times said. The U.S. commanders' requests for attacks were described by officials who were briefed on the discussions and spoke on the condition of anonymity, the newspaper said.

Full article here.