With the situation in Afghanistan continuing to be on the downslide, a leading American senator on Sunday said Pakistani action against the Haqqani militants was key to success in Islamabad’s insurgency-wracked neighbour, where Taliban are expanding their activities.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, conceded that the Taliban were expanding their activities in Afghanistan. She alleged that Islamabad was doing nothing to eliminate the Afghan Haqqani group’s sanctuary on its side of the border but expressed the hope for a ‘new solidarity’ between Pakistan and the United States against safe havens.
Her remarks came as army chief General Ashfaq Kayani and top American commander in Afghanistan Gen John Allen discussed counterterrorism cooperation along the Afghan border at a tripartite meeting also involving the Afghan military commander. “Militarily, I think that the Taliban are not going to beat us. But what the Taliban have done is insinuate themselves in a shadowy presence, with shadow governors. They controlled over a third of the land in which people live. They expanded into the north, into the northeast,” Senator Feinstein said.
Feinstein, who visited Afghanistan recently, told FOX News on Sunday that “while we were there in one province, they (Taliban) closed 14 schools in 17 districts and then they killed five education officials and wounded others. And now, there’s this latest assassination of someone who’s been a leader in the Peace Council”.
“But the question comes, can they come back? They are taxing the poppy in the south to the tune of $125 million, which in 2011 – this is the United Nations figure – went to support their operations. They have a safe harbor in Pakistan and the Pakistanis are doing nothing to abate that safe harbor. So, it’s a big problem and I think that the key to Afghanistan is really action by Pakistan with respect to the Haqqani, with respect to the Taliban, and a new solidarity hopefully between our two countries to eliminate safe havens for terrorist,” Feinstein said. The Democratic senator from California said the top US commander in Afghanistan General Allen was doing a “great job”. “The first was, according to General Allen, 362,000 mark of trained Afghan military will be met. He said they are doing very well. They are in the lead in many missions and they are carrying it out with alacrity and with talent. So, that’s good. The second thing that I saw were school girls in their white scarves coming out of school, even one holding a small sister by the hand, laughing, holding hands, walking down the street.