Pakistan part of the solution, says US commander tipped for Afghan post

President Trump’s approved strategy has called for more aggressive action against the Taliban

US Army Lieutenant General Austin Miller, tipped to head US military operations in Afghanistan, acknowledged Pakistan's sacrifices during the war on terror and said the country is "part of the solution", Bloomberg reported.

“We should have high expectations that they are part of the solution, not just diplomatically but from a security standpoint as well," said the senior US military official.

Miller who will be spearheading the US operations in Afghanistan added that Pakistan's "security forces have fought bravely”.



Miller added that "military operations in 2018 is supporting secure and credible elections in Afghanistan, " and went on to describe the three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and the Afghan security forces on Eid as an “unprecedented moment in this long war”.

President Trump’s approved strategy in Afghanistan has called for a more aggressive action against the Taliban.



However the incoming US Army general also described Pakistan’s role as "contradictory" during a briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee.



Trump has also been equally vocal in the past about Pakistan's role, saying in August that “we can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region.”

At the start of the year, the US president tweeted and accused Pakistan of playing a double game. Pakistan categorically denied US allegations and said the country has done enough and now it is time for others to do more.

This story originally appeared in the Bloomberg