But recent attacks in Afghanistan, including a truck bombing in Kabul that killed 50, soured this initiative and persuaded President Ghani to blame Pakistan’s hand behind these attacks despite it hosting the first round of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Murree.
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The Haqqani terrorist network accused of numerous deadly attacks in Afghanistan has not been damaged during the military operations conducted by the Pakistani military, the United States has told Pakistan.
Now, there are signals that Pentagon could rein in that spending, a move that could greatly alter the U.S. relationship with Pakistan.
The Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that at least 118 Taliban militants were killed and 62 others injured in a series of large-scale security operations carried out in a number of provinces, including Nangarhar, Laghman, Faryab and Helmand, as well as Khak-i-Jabar and Sorubi districts of the capital, Kabul.
Haqqani network was formed in the late 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani.
“I wish to reiterate that under the ongoing military operation Zarb-e-Azb, action is being taken across the board against all enemies of Pakistan and Afghanistan“, said Khalilullah. So far $13 billion has been reimbursed to Pakistan under CSF.
The relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan warmed after the election of President Ashraf Ghani, but has seen a sudden decline since news broke last month that the Afghan Taliban’s reclusive leader Mullah Omar had died in 2013 in a Karachi hospital. But Congress mandates that the payments be linked to Pakistan’s willingness to also crack down on insurgent groups that operate on its terrain, including the Afghan Taliban and the affiliated Haqqani network. Reuter reports that an Afghan delegation to Pakistan last week led by Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani demanded “serious and practical measures” from Islamabad over militant attacks it said came from across the border. The group is allied with al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban and cooperates with other terrorist organizations in the region. Also, the Afghan government should keep talking with Pakistan so that some of mistrust can be removed and should also discourage hawkish elements that are bent on sabotaging ties with Pakistan.
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“This is disbursements to Pakistan in lieu of its logistic support for the U.S. operations in Afghanistan”, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry official said. “Kashmiris are important stakeholders in the context of Jammu and Kashmir dispute and efforts to seek its peaceful settlement in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions”, the spokesman said while replying to a question regarding the reported detention of Kashmiri leaders.
