Pakistan will suffer ‘dire consequences’ if it fails to ‘contain’ terrorists operating from its soil, said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, adding that it needs the US and Afghanistan to help get the job done.
“The Obama administration isn’t asking Pakistan’s military to occupy its rugged border regions. There are different ways of fighting besides overt military action,” Clinton said in an interview with Bloomberg News following two days of meetings in Islamabad.
Last Thursday, the top civil, military and intelligence officials from Pakistan and the US met in Islamabad to iron out differences on how to tackle the Haqqani network.
The two-hour long discussions were held against the backdrop of strained ties between Washington and Islamabad following charges by US officials that Pakistan is playing a ‘double game’ when it comes to dealing with militants.
However, in the interview with Bloomberg News, Clinton praised the recent cooperation against al Qaeda as a model for how to crack down on the Haqqanis.
“Because of intelligence sharing and mutual cooperation, we have targeted three of the top al Qaeda operatives since bin Laden’s death. That could not have happened without Pakistani cooperation,” she said.
She recounted that the Pakistan side said they “have to figure out a way to do it that doesn’t cause chaos” in their country. The two sides, she added, agreed on “90 to 95 per cent of what needs to be done.”
With a little help …
Clinton said she urged Pakistan’s leaders to take advantage of the roughly 130,000-troop Nato force in Afghanistan while it’s still there.
“There’s no way that any government in Islamabad can control these groups,” Clinton said in the interview, which was conducted during her visit to Tajikistan.
“There is an opportunity, while we are still with 48 nations across the border in Afghanistan, where we have a lot of assets that we can put at their disposal to help Pakistan,” she asserted.
‘Enhanced Operations’
Afghan troops, in collaboration with the US, have initiated “enhanced operations” against Taliban-linked rebels in Afghanistan’s Khost province.
Asked if US troops in Afghanistan will launch cross- border attacks if Pakistan fails to act, Clinton replied, “There’s a lot going on that is aimed at these safe havens, and we will continue to work with them on that,” according to Bloomberg News.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2011.
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