LAHORE- After strongly resisting US pressure throughout 2010 to launch military offensive in the troubled Pak-Afghan border region of North Waziristan, the Army and intelligence agencies are considering limited and targeted operation against anti-Pakistan terror groups linked to al Qaeda as an option to bring peace in the war-torn region. Well-informed sources in the countrys security establishment further revealed that the operation could be launched only after assessing ground realities as the Haqqani network is all set to relocate from North Waziristan. 'The Haqqani network and general Afghan Taliban have never opposed Pakistan Army and are considered as pro-Pakistan. So why Pak Army should attack its own ally?questioned leading Strategic and Defence analyst Brig (Retd) Farooq Hameed Khan. However, he said, it is possible that limited military operation might take place against anti-Pakistan terror groups including Uzbek, Tajiks and Arabs etc. There is already a sizeable presence of Pakistan Army in North Waziristan, he added. According to the sources, Pakistan Army and ISI have boldly withstood US pressure to launch formal offensive in NWA, where more than 70,000 troops are present who conduct targeted operation against the terrorists. However, the US drone strikes there, are fueling militancy in rest of the country as hatred and anger is spreading in Tribal Areas against the West. They also say that following the US media reports that several key al Qaeda figures have converged in NWA to step up attacks against security forces in Pakistan and the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, a limited operation is on the cards to flush out anti-Pakistan terror groups from the region. During interviews some top defence analysts also insisted that the US had almost accepted defeat in Afghanistan, where its key allies including Germany and UK have announced exit strategy amid heavy losses. 'They (Americans) are now looking for safe and honorable exit from Afghanistan. Now, they need Pak Army support to 'materialise their dream of honorable withdrawal, a strategic expert said. He also said that the US and NATO had accepted the ground reality that 'Pakistan holds the key to strong and stable Afghanistan. Therefore, Islamabad has a role to play in bringing peace to war-torn Afghanistan, he added. On the other hand, some experts believe that FATA is a complex and complicated area with different peculiarities of various tribal agencies. They say that the possibility of Army offensive there does not match with the ground realities. 'We may have to wait for a long period to bring peace to this area, experts suggested. This is like an open secret that after the operation in South Waziristan, the majority of the Taliban relocated to North Waziristan and had spread to different pockets. They choose their own time and place to attack with ease and inflict casualties on our troops. They also argued that at present Pakistan Army is well-entrenched in FATA and to carry a full-fledged operation in North Waziristan would require additional troops, equipment, etc. 'This (operation) could engulf the entire FATA area. Can we afford that? they questioned. Recently, Interior Minister Rehman Malik hinted that there could be more attacks by the Taliban in Punjab. If the Army begins action in North Waziristan, its fallout will be borne by the major cities. Where do we go from here? We cannot afford to leave the operation in the middle as that would be disastrous, they added. The security apparatus would have to change the strategy in the light of the prevailing circumstances and must engage the tribal chiefs and get their assistance in apprehending the Taliban and terrorists linked to al Qaeda. The countrys strength lies in strengthening various tribes instead of making them hostile against Pakistan and its forces. This is the only way to achieve long-term goals. Now even the world powers have realised that Indian sponsored training camps in Afghanistan are continuously sending terrorists to Pakistan for bomb blasts, suicidal attacks and other sabotage activities to destabilise Pakistan. Under such scenario, a full-fledged operation in the complicated region is still not a viable option for the security forces in order to safeguard its own interests.