White House spokesman Jay Carney on Friday called on Pakistan to “break any link they have” with the Haqqani terror network, as the Pentagon said communication lines with Pakistan’s military remained open despite acrimony over US accusations.
“We know that the Haqqani network was responsible for the attacks on our embassy in Kabul,” Carney said. “We know that the Haqqani network operates from safe havens in Pakistan, and that the government of Pakistan has not taken action against those safe havens. This has been a longstanding concern of the United States, and one that we discussed with Pakistan, in public and in private,” he said.
Carney said it was “critical” that Pakistan “break any links they have and take strong and immediate action against this network so they are no longer a threat to the United States or to the people of Pakistan.” Press Secretary George Little told reporters that despite serious disagreement, the US military had no intention of cutting off dialogue with Pakistan, “The lines of communication with our Pakistani counterparts remain open,” Little said. “This is a relationship that’s complicated but essential.”
US lawmakers: Top US lawmakers on Friday pressed US State Secretary Hillary Clinton to immediately blacklist the militant outfit. “I request the State Department to list the network as a foreign terrorist organisation,” said Senate Intelligence Committee chief Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein said the Haqqani network had met all standards of getting blacklisted as it had conducted attacks against the US targets and personnel in Afghanistan and had posed a sustained threat on America, Afghanistan and allied personnel.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin questioned the inordinate delay in designating the network as a terrorist organisation. “This step is long overdue,” Levin said. “I hope the State Department will move quickly to designate the Haqqanis’ as a foreign terrorist organisation,” he said as he and other lawmakers urged Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Mullen to initiate steps to ensure that the Haqqani network was not able to attack the Americans.
Foremost was the threat posed by extremists who were attacking the Afghan and coalition forces from sanctuaries in Pakistan, particularly the Haqqani group in north Waziristan and the Afghan Taliban shura in Quetta, he said. Levin said the ability of the network to launch attacks over the border from Pakistan was unacceptable.
