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Washington has said the Taliban group and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network still retain the ability to operate from Pakistan.
Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs and Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Alice G. Wells told reporters on Friday that “We believe that the Taliban leadership and the Haqqani Network still retain an ability to plan, to recuperate, and to reside with their families in Pakistan. The Quetta and Peshawar leadership councils of the Taliban have their names for a reason.”
Wells further added “And what we saw in 2014 was we saw Pakistan make a strategic decision to defeat the terrorist groups that were targeting the Government of Pakistan. And with great loss of life, great courage, great vision about what needed to be done, Pakistan has fought that battle and now has regained control and sovereignty over the FATA territories.”
” We’d like to see the same strategic commitment brought against other militant groups, whether they’re – that are operating or have used Pakistan’s territory, whether they are directed against India or directed against Afghanistan,” she added.
This comes as the Afghan and US officials have long been insisting that the leadership councils of the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist network are based in the key cities of Pakistan, including Peshawar and Quetta, from where they plan and coordinate deadly attacks in Afghanistan.
However, Pakistan has persistently rejected the claims by the Afghan and US officials, saying the country has taken actions against all terror groups without any distinction.
