The US said it wants to work with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, but insisted Islamabad had been given a “clear message” to act against the extremist groups such as the Haqqani network that operates from its soil.
Addressing a press briefing, Pentagon spokesman said, “The Pakistan government has been conveyed a clear message over the last week that it must take steps against militants based inside Pakistan, who carry out attacks against American and Afghan forces inside Afghanistan.”
He said the lines of communication remained open in the “complex but essential” relationship with Pakistan.
He said a path to work together needed to be found. He said, “the Secretary of Defence was clear on Thursday in his testimony before a Congressional committee we are not going to discuss what options we may pursue against militants.”
Asked about a series of high-visibility attacks recently he said terrorists were trying to “create a perception” which was far away from reality. He said, “The bottom line is, this fighting season for the Taliban and insurgents in Afghanistan has been less effective and they are resorting to new tactics which include large scale offences,” Little said. He said he was not aware of any “large scale” change in security cooperation between the US and Pakistan over the last week. He said, “no one should say there is some kind of breach with the Pakistan government. We want to work together. We want to cooperate. Cooperation is important for both countries,” he said.
“There are disagreements and we discuss those very candidly with the Pakistanis.