US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton demanded on Thursday that Pakistan dismantle Taliban safe havens in a major push for Islamabad to take action in its tribal areas, while simultaneously expounding on the need for Pakistan to play a “constructive” role in bringing militants to negotiations aimed at ending the 10-year war in Afghanistan. But many policy makers in Islamabad see a twin US approach of pressing the fight on the battlefield and pursuing reconciliation efforts behind the scenes as contradictory, arguing that Pakistan cannot make any further sacrifices.Clinton’s remarks came as the American troops pressed a major offensive along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The top US diplomat spoke in unusually strong language following talks in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. She warned the Taliban to be part of a peaceful future or face “unrelenting” assault, but urged Islamabad to play a “constructive” role in bringing militants to the negotiation table. Clinton arrived in Pakistan on Thursday, where she is to be joined by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief David Petraeus and top US military officer Martin Dempsey.“And now it’s a question as to how much cooperation Pakistanis will provide in going after those safe havens,” she said. “We intend to push the Pakistanis very hard as to what they are willing and able to do with us… to remove the safe havens and the continuing threats across the border to Afghans,” said Clinton.
MAJOR MILITARY
OPERATION: She warned militants that “we are going to seek you in your safe havens” on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border and confirmed a US operation against the hardline Haqqani network it blames for some of the worst war attacks. “There was a major military operation inside Afghanistan in recent days that has been rounding up and eliminating Haqqani operatives on this side of the border,” Clinton told reporters in a leafy plaza of Karzai’s palace.
Clinton confirmed that the United States believed the Haqqani network operated out of a “safe haven in Pakistan”. US commanders say the Haqqanis are their most potent enemy in eastern Afghanistan and increasingly capable of launching high-profile attacks in Kabul. It is an Afghan Taliban faction, loyal to Taliban leader Mullah Omar. Clinton said her talks in Pakistan will focus on “how to increase pressure on the safe havens there” while at the same time urging Pakistan to support efforts at negotiations. “We believe that they can play either a constructive or a destructive role in helping to bring into talks those with whom the Afghans themselves must sit across the table and hammer out a negotiated settlement,” she said. “We will be looking to the Pakistanis to take the lead because the terrorists operating outside of Pakistan pose a threat to Pakistanis, as well as to Afghans and others,” she added.
KARZAI: Karzai spoke of “shifting the focus” of the peace effort to Pakistan. The Afghan president said Afghanistan believed the Taliban “to a very very great extent is controlled by establishments in Pakistan”. “The proper authority we firmly believe is in Pakistan and the venue therefore should be in Pakistan,”
he added.
countdown to turning pak into parking lot has begun…and clinton can count upto 10!!!!!!!!!!!!
The USA is more confident now in destroying Pakistan after Gaddafi is dead. The USA's dirty work in the Middle East has been done. It is going to devote all its energy towards wiping out Iran and Pakistan simultaneously. Iran has been accused of trying assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador in the USA and Pakistan is being accused of harbouring members of the Haqqani network.
The USA is calling China's bluff and intends to do what it always had planned to do attack and destroy Pakistan . The USA is not afraid of losing Pakistan's alliance. These are dangerous times. The USA has tasted blood too many times in the past 10 years.
It is blood lust now. Once Pakistan and Iran are destroyed – a massive attack of China is going carried out.The aim the encirclement of Russia. Russia has to be destroyed for it has challenged and threatened the West too long. Russia's oil wealth has to be stolen once and for all.
Iran, Pakistan and China are merely stepping stones towards the encirclement of Russia. The siege of Russia. The USA and West for some bizarre reason consider themselves invincible and indestructible. The have no fear of retaliation whatsoever.
However if Pakistan retaliates with force – it will beginning a whole range of setbacks for the West.
Pakistan has suffered the most in the war against terror. How many lives did America lose on 9/11? Less than 3,000. Peanuts!!! We have lost more than 38,000 people. Our economy has taken a terrible toll. This is one major reason of our present economic malaise.
I would like to warn all concerned that American specie is the most unreliable ally. They use everybody and then forget. They have displayed this behaviour everywhere. Terrorism must end and a group of countries be formed to counter American evil.
I would also like to appeal to authorities in Pakistan to be very careful in dealing with the Americans. They are not our friends.
This world would be a much better place without America brandishing its weapons of mass destruction all over the world for the sake of economic exploitation.
Down with the American dogs!!!
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