The Pentagon has said it was working with both Afghanistan and Pakistan to reduce tension between the two neighbors over cross-border skirmishes. “We are working closely with both countries, obviously, to try to limit violence along the Afghan-Pakistan border. We have obviously been in constant contact with the Afghan government to work on these issues and we have put pressure on the enemy that operates along the border,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said at a news conference. “On the Pakistani side of the border, we are settling back into a normal phase of cooperation with our Pakistani partners and coordination, we believe, is improving,” he told reporters in response to a question that Afghanistan has warned Pakistan to stop cross-border shelling as civilians are being targeted. Little said he did not think there would be any change in Pakistan policy towards Afghanistan because of the new prime minister. “No, we don’t believe so,” he said. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano expressed her condolences over the weekend fatal shooting of three contractors stationed at the Herat Training Centre in the western province. “All three individuals were supporting Afghan Border Police training efforts when they came under attack. Their tragic deaths remind us of the dangers facing our men and women overseas and the many sacrifices they make on our behalf every day,” she said.
