State Department Spokesman says Washington remains committed to ensuring Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists n Deeply regrets loss of life during terrorist attack on Pak security forces in KP n We urge both sides to address any differences, says Vedant Patel after Pakistan hits TTP sanctuaries.
WASHINGTON - The United States called on the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks against Pakistan are not launched from Afghan soil.
Asked to comment on Pakistan’s “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” inside the border regions of Afghanistan, State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said that the US “deeply” regrets the loss of life and “injustices” sustained during an attack in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Seven Pakistani troops were killed in the terrorist attack at a security post in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali area on Saturday.
“We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil and we urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counter-terrorism efforts,” Patel told his daily news briefing on Monday.
“And we urge both sides to address any differences. We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm the United States and our partners and allies,” he added. He said we are in regular communication with Pakistani leaders to discuss Afghanistan in detail, including through our counterterrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations.
Last month, the U.N. Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team said in a report that al-Qaida operatives were increasingly assisting TTP militants to launch cross-border attacks. And some ruling Taliban members joined TTP, the report noted.
“Besides supplying weapons and equipment, Taliban rank and file, al-Qaida core…. assisted TTP forces in cross-border attacks… Some Taliban members also joined TTP, perceiving a religious obligation to provide support,” the U.N. report said. Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative to Afghanistan told a seminar in Islamabad last week that up to 6,000 TTP fighters are sheltering in the neighboring country. Earlier Monday, interim Afghan administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that Pakistani military aircraft had struck homes, killing eight people in the southeastern Paktika and Khost provinces. Islamabad confirmed that its forces carried out the attacks on militant targets and gave assurances of its respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty. This came after at least seven Pakistani troops were killed by militants in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali area on Saturday. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of failing to prevent militants from the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a conglomerate of various militant groups, from carrying out attacks in Pakistan before returning to Afghanistan for refuge.
