Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani said on Wednesday that the role of international forces in Afghanistan had led to terrorism in the war-torn country. Speaking at a conference on Afghanistan in the federal capital, the foreign secretary said that terrorism would continue to affect the country even after the withdrawal of NATO forces. The US plans to end its combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and is encouraging the Afghan government to engage the Taliban militants for a peaceful end to the conflict. The Taliban, however, appear reluctant to work with Kabul. Jilani said that the Pakistan army and intelligence agencies were in close contact with their Afghan counterparts over cooperation on security-related issues. He further said that Pakistan had allocated funds for development projects in Afghanistan, and had provided $20 million for assisting the Afghan National Army (ANA).
