Kabul/Washington: In the strongest warning so far to Pakistan, US on Thursday said it is reaching the limits of its patience with Islamabad for allowing terrorist safe havens, specially the dreaded Haqqani network.
The warning was sounded out by defence secretary Leon Panetta, who on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan declared, “It’s difficult to achieve peace in Afghanistan as long as there are safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan.”
Singling out the Haqqani network, an al-Qaeda linked Taliban faction based in Pakistan’s lawless tribal North Waziristan province, the US defence secretary said, “It is an increasing concern that Haqqani safe havens still exist on other side of the border. Pakistan has to take action from allowing terrorists in their country to attack our forces on the other side of the border.”
“We are reaching the limits of our patience here,” New York Times quoted him as saying. Panetta made the strong remarks after a meeting with Afghan defence minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, on the last leg of his crucial Asian tour that also took him to Vietnam and India, but not Islamabad, in pointers to deteriorating ties between the two countries.
His comments come a day after he made clear that drone strikes against terrorists in Pakistan would continue. The US officials said that in talks with Pakistan Washington had made “very clear, time and again” the need to crack down on Haqqani network.
US officials have recently blamed the Haqqani network for brazen attacks on the Afghan capital Kabul. PTI
Karzai slams Nato for killing civilians
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the Nato air strike that killed 18 civilians and would cut short a trip to Beijing to return home, his office said. “Attacks by Nato that cause life and property losses to civilians under no circumstances could be justified and are not acceptable,” Karzai said, saying he was “deeply grieved" over civilian deaths in the Nato strike and in a Kandahar suicide bombing on the same day. AFP
Blast in Quetta leaves 14 dead
At least 14 people, including three children, were killed and more than 35 others injured on Thursday when a powerful bomb went off outside a seminary in the troubled Quetta city of southwestern Pakistan. The bomb was detonated by remote control outside Jamia Islamia Maftah-ul-Uloom at Saryab Road while a ceremony for students who had completed memorizing the Quran was being held inside, police said.
The warning was sounded out by defence secretary Leon Panetta, who on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan declared, “It’s difficult to achieve peace in Afghanistan as long as there are safe havens for terrorists in Pakistan.”
Singling out the Haqqani network, an al-Qaeda linked Taliban faction based in Pakistan’s lawless tribal North Waziristan province, the US defence secretary said, “It is an increasing concern that Haqqani safe havens still exist on other side of the border. Pakistan has to take action from allowing terrorists in their country to attack our forces on the other side of the border.”
“We are reaching the limits of our patience here,” New York Times quoted him as saying. Panetta made the strong remarks after a meeting with Afghan defence minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, on the last leg of his crucial Asian tour that also took him to Vietnam and India, but not Islamabad, in pointers to deteriorating ties between the two countries.
His comments come a day after he made clear that drone strikes against terrorists in Pakistan would continue. The US officials said that in talks with Pakistan Washington had made “very clear, time and again” the need to crack down on Haqqani network.
US officials have recently blamed the Haqqani network for brazen attacks on the Afghan capital Kabul. PTI
Karzai slams Nato for killing civilians
Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the Nato air strike that killed 18 civilians and would cut short a trip to Beijing to return home, his office said. “Attacks by Nato that cause life and property losses to civilians under no circumstances could be justified and are not acceptable,” Karzai said, saying he was “deeply grieved" over civilian deaths in the Nato strike and in a Kandahar suicide bombing on the same day. AFP
Blast in Quetta leaves 14 dead
At least 14 people, including three children, were killed and more than 35 others injured on Thursday when a powerful bomb went off outside a seminary in the troubled Quetta city of southwestern Pakistan. The bomb was detonated by remote control outside Jamia Islamia Maftah-ul-Uloom at Saryab Road while a ceremony for students who had completed memorizing the Quran was being held inside, police said.
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