Washington - US CIA Director Mike Pompeo has said the United States wants to draw the Taliban into peace talks in Afghanistan, but for that to happen, he said Pakistan must first ensure the militants cannot establish safe havens within its borders.
In a speech on Thursday at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, a Washington think tank, Pompeo said for peace talks to move ahead, the Taliban must have no hope of winning on the battlefield in Afghanistan. But he said that will not happen as long as the militants are able to establish sanctuaries in Pakistan.
The United States "is going to do everything we can, to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table in Afghanistan, with the Taliban having zero hope that they can win this thing on the battlefield," he said. "To do that you cannot have a safe haven in Pakistan."
Pompeo's remarks targeting Pakistan reflect US President Donald Trump's new strategy of placing pressure on Islamabad to rid its border area of extremist groups as part of a new push to try to win or end the 16-year US war in Afghanistan.
Washington has threatened to cut military aid and take other punitive measures against Islamabad, including possibly targeting sanctions against Pakistani officials with links to militant organisations.
Islamabad has called the US strategy an effort to "scapegoat" Pakistan for Washington's failure to win the war. But Pakistani officials last week also touted the hostage rescue as an example of their increased cooperation with Washington.
"I think history would indicate that expectations for the Pakistanis' willingness to help us in the fight against radical terrorism should be set at a very low level. Our intelligence would indicate the same," Pompeo said. "I think we should have a very real conversation with them about what it is they're doing, and what it is they should do, and the American expectations for how they should behave," he said.
President Donald Trump wants to convince Afghan Taliban that they have no hope of military victory and should try to negotiate a peace deal with Kabul.
But, Pompeo said, there is no chance the Taliban will do this if their fighters continue to enjoy the benefits of a safe haven on the Pakistan side of the border.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is scheduled to visit Islamabad next week. Tillerson said on October 18 that the United States expected Pakistan "to take decisive action against terrorist groups."