Taliban, Haqqani network retain freedom of action in Pakistan: US

In a recent released report, the US Department of Defence (DoD) has claimed that Taliban and Haqqani network have retained freedom of action inside Pakistani territory.

The report titled ‘Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan’ released early this month has further claimed that these militant elements “benefit from support from elements of the Pakistani Government”.

“Although Pakistani military operations have disrupted some militant sanctuaries, certain extremist groups—such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network—were able to relocate and continue to operate in and from Pakistan,” the report stated.

US Department of Defence has emphasised that both Pakistan and Afghanistan need to cooperate to keep pressure on militant and terrorist groups but the “trust deficit from Pakistan” has hampered the collaboration.

“Since the beginning of President Ghani’s tenure, leaders from both countries have made several attempts to improve relations and to address mutual security interests more effectively, such as the threat from various extremist groups that reside in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. These efforts have largely ceased following major high-profile terrorist attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and public statements by each government disparaging one another.”

The report further mentioned that each country publicly claims that other country is providing sanctuary to militant groups and lacks the will to eliminate them.

“In Afghanistan, the Taliban claimed responsibility for attacks on January 10, 2017, that left more than 70 people dead in Kabul, Helmand, and Kandahar Provinces. In Pakistan, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Sufi shrine in Sindh Province on February 10, 2017,” the report added.

These attack led Pakistan to close its mutual border with Afghanistan temporarily. “The report however mentioned that despite tensions in bilateral relations, “Afghanistan-Pakistan border cooperation at the tactical level took positive steps.”

Source: The Nation