| I used to hate seeing phrasing like that in the headline. Eventually, I kinda got used to it, as it happens with more regularity. |
Two months ago senior diplomats from four NATO countries (Britain, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands), whose troops are fighting an estimated 8,000 Taliban in southern Afghanistan, collectively urged their governments to issue a démarche to Pakistan's military regime. They want it to arrest those Taliban commanders openly operating out of Quetta. However, after a fierce debate on the issue, the démarche was cancelled, with NATO members divided on whether or not to pressure Pakistan.
Britain cited co-operation with Pakistani intelligence in uncovering the recent London terrorist plot. But a Western ambassador in Islamabad said there was consensus among NATO, US and UK intelligence officers in Afghanistan that Quetta is “the command and control centre for Taliban planning, logistics, and recruitment in Afghanistan.”
Pakistan denies that it is sponsoring the Taliban. But for the first time since 2001 President Musharraf admitted this week in Brussels that the Taliban are using Pakistani soil to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. The recent intense fighting in southern Afghanistan is partly a Taliban attempt to carve out a safe haven where its leaders can reside during the winter months when fighting winds down.