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| India-Pakistan |
| Petraeus urges Pakistan action against Taliban |
| 2009-12-14 |
| The head of the US Central Command, General David Petraeus, has urged Islamabad to take action against the supposed Pakistan-based leadership of the Taliban. "It would be very helpful if additional pressure could be put (by Pakistan) on the leadership of the elements that are causing problems in Afghanistan," Petraeus said on Sunday. The general, the former head of the US forces in Iraq who currently directs the US military's operations overseas, claimed this would bring about "the really significant progress in Afghanistan that will be necessary over time." More than eight years after the so-called counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan, the United States has failed to bring any sign of stability to the war-torn country. The operations have also caused many thousands of civilian mortalities, while failing to eliminate any key militant element. Washington has, meanwhile, been linking the Pakistan-rooted militancy to the Taliban. Based on the claim, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in cooperation with the Pentagon has been launching deadly missile strikes on Afghanistan's common border with Pakistan. Analysts say the claims that the Taliban leadership escaped the US military into Pakistan justify the ineffectiveness of the US operations in Afghanistan, while paving the way for the US military presence in Pakistan. Under the US pressure, Islamabad has also been cracking down on gunmen in its northwestern tribal area of South Waziristan. The raids have rendered thousands of locals homeless. "We have put in a lot of pressure. And we intend to continue to do that," said Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. |
| Posted by:Fred |