US says its working with Pakistan, Afghanistan to curb border violence

Pentagon spokesperson George Little says border cooperation with Pakistan is improving.


July 25, 2012
US says its working with Pakistan, Afghanistan to curb border violence

WASHINGTON: As relations with United States settle back into normal phase of cooperation after months of strain, Washington is now going to focus more on working with Islamabad and Kabul to contain militant activities along the porous Durand Line.  

"Well, we're working closely with both countries, obviously, to try to limit violence along the Afghan-Pakistan border," a Pentagon spokesperson said, amid weeks of complaining from both sides about cross-border attacks along the disputed Pak-Afghan border.

Pakistan has asked Kabul to act against safe havens of militants in its eastern Kunar and Nooristan provinces, in the backdrop of more than a dozen deadly cross-border assaults that have killed over 100 people, including civilians and soldiers.

Reports say Mullah Fazlullah and other militants, who fled the army's counter terrorism operations in Swat and Bajaur, have found refuge across the border in Afghanistan.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said,"we are settling back into a normal phase of cooperation with our Pakistani partners. And border coordination, we believe, is improving."

Last week, the ISAF commander in Afghanistan General John Allen said that his forces were ready to act on the Afghan side of the border if Pakistan reciprocates on its side of the Durand Line against militant safe havens.

Answering a question, Little saw no change in the US-led allies' Afghan mission.

"In our estimation, I'm not sure there's any particular change to the mission in Afghanistan. We're carrying out the mission as we've designed," he said.

"We're moving quickly and prudently toward implementation of the improvement of Afghan national security force capabilities. And, of course, we're following the Lisbon timeline toward the end of 2014," he added referring to the deadline set by Nato for transferring full security responsibility to Afghans and end the combat mission in Afghanistan.

COMMENTS (8)

kaka | 12 years ago | Reply

@US CENTCOM: What relationship are you talking about Joseph? The OBL raid was a serious offense in eyes of international law which your strategists bypass with the gimmicks of 3000 legal advisors and lawyers hired by your State Department, finding fissures in UN charters and manipulating the security council approved resolutions to navigate the conflict to reach your objectives. You didnt take us over board for that raid mission ,you didn't trust us then,why would you trust us now.?

Sexton Blake | 12 years ago | Reply

@US CENTCOM: Dear Capt. Kreidel, It would be of some benefit to the reader if you were more precise in your nomenclature. For example you use the words terrorists, terrorist outfits and enemy, but do not really spell out who you are writing about I am reasonably certain that your high school English teachers would not have allowed this type of low level expression, and am absolutely certain that your college professors would have given you a fail. It would be appreciated if you could lift your game.

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