Washington: The US has stepped up pressure
on Pakistan to rein in Haqqani network which has been
targeting NATO forces brazenly in Afghanistan, as its Army
chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani was told to dismantle "safe havens"
of terror groups in North Waziristan.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike
Mullen held a two-hour private meeting late Friday with his
Pakistani counterpart, Kayani, during a military conference in
Seville, Spain, where the two discussed their nations`
complicated relationship.
Mullen has expressed "deep concerns" about violent
attacks mounted by the Haqqani network. The US has again
pressed the Pakistani military to take action against militant
havens, officials said, the New York Times reported.
"Admiral Mullen conveyed his deep concerns about the
increasing and increasingly brazen activities of the
Haqqani network and restated his strong desire to see the
Pakistani military take action against them and their safe
havens in North Waziristan," said Capt. John Kirby, the
chairman`s special assistant for public affairs.
Relations with Pakistan have not recovered from a
near-rupture after the killing of Osama bin Laden by American
commandos operating deep inside Pakistan in early May.
In recent days, American military officials said that a
brazen attack on the United States Embassy compound and NATO
headquarters in Kabul bore the hallmarks of the Haqqani
network, a militant group based in Pakistan.
American officials have said they have compelling
evidence that Haqqani fighters have received support and
direction from Pakistan`s intelligence agency, the
Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.
PTI
