Pakistan's agreement was conveyed by President Pervez Musharraf in a meeting Friday with U.S. Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Besides the ground force, Pakistan also agreed to close its border with Afghanistan, allow its airspace to be used for possible strikes and cooperate in intelligence gathering.
At a news conference Saturday, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar promised Pakistan's full support for an assault on terrorism, but refused to give specifics.
Officials from both countries have been in intensive talks since shortly after Tuesday's terrorist attack on the United States.
Pakistan's Cabinet and the National Security Council were to meet Saturday to work on a formal response to the United States, the sources said.
Afghanistan, which shares a 1,560-mile border with Pakistan, is believed to be harboring Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), the key suspect in the airborne strikes on New York and Washington. The Taliban, Afghanistan's hardline Islamic militia, have refused to surrender bin Laden to U.S. authorities. |
