NATO Military Committee Chairman Adm Giampaolo di Paola has said that Pakistan would be carrying out an operation against militants in Balochistan, or is already doing so. Admiral di Paola was addressing a press conference in Islamabad, where he is on a visit. At the same time, the G8 Summit, which includes members of NATO (apart from Japan and Russia), was also expressing support for Pakistan, but mainly for its military action against militants in the tribal areas. This was also supported by the NATO Military Committee Chairman, but he also took ownership of the military action in Helmand province by saying that 'we' were trying 'to dry up the breathing line of the militants by intensifying our engagements'. The military action, carried out by US troops in an area originally assigned to NATO, was being seen as an American intrusion. It was feared that militants fleeing the operation would cross the Durand Line into Balochistan's areas, and would create a new headache for Pakistan. Admiral di Paola's statement explained what the Pakistan Army was probably doing to prevent that. However, statements about Pakistani military operations should not be made by foreign visitors, but designated local military spokesmen. But apart from diplomatic niceties, this also reflects the role the US military sees for the Pakistan military in its operations: the Americans doing the attacking, and the Pakistan Army merely guarding its borders against escaping militants. Though the operation in Helmand has been touted as the result of the Obama Administration's 'troop surge' in Afghanistan, it merely seems a repeat of the Bush Administration's 'hammer-and-anvil' policy, which was hardly much of a success, and had to ultimately be abandoned. The much-touted initiative turns out to be a rehash of the same unsuccessful policies of the previous administration. Admiral Di Paola's visit notwithstanding, the Helmand operation is unlikely to prove much of a success, so long as the USA persists with its policy of drone attacks on areas in which the Pakistan Army is already engaged.