India-Pakistan: December 20, 2003

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Pakistani police and troops continue to patrol the Afghan border, looking for al Qaeda and Taliban activity. But aside from seizing an occasional illegal arms shipment (of AK-47s, RPG shells and other munitions and explosives), there is no great enthusiasm for making raids on known al Qaeda and Taliban camps up in the hills. And the Pakistani government won't let US troops come in and do it either, as that would enflame the majority of Pakistanis who, at the moment, back Islamic conservatives (because they are thought to be less corrupt, which is not always true.)