U.S. Threats Haven’t Led Pakistan to Restrict Taliban, Report Says
U.S. Threats Haven’t Led Pakistan to Restrict Taliban, Report Says by J.P. Lawrence – Stars & Stripes
U.S. threats to cut aid to Pakistan for its support of the Taliban have not led to any significant changes in Islamabad’s relations with insurgents who seek to overthrow the American-backed Afghan government, the State Department said in a report.
The Pakistani government in the past year has not restricted the Taliban or its offshoot group, the Haqqani network, from operating within its territory, despite vows to support peace talks between the Afghan government and insurgents, said the annual Country Reports on Terrorism, which was released Sept. 19.
“Pakistan did not take sufficient action” against terrorist groups that raise funds and train there, the report said, noting Islamabad’s release last November of Hafiz Saeed, mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 dead, according to The Associated Press.
The U.S. criticism finds support among Afghan leaders who have charged in recent weeks that Pakistan continues to aid militants in the country.
Multiple attacks in Kabul this year were planned and launched from safe havens in Pakistan and some al-Qaida members remain in Afghanistan, the report said.
The U.S. and Afghan governments have long accused Pakistani intelligence officials of supporting the Taliban and other militants, who find sanctuary in the rugged terrain of Pakistan’s western tribal areas. Pakistan has long rejected those charges…
