No evidence to suggest Kabul attacks were planned in Pakistan: General Martin Dempsey

Taliban insurgents mounted spectacular synchronised attacks on government buildings, Western embassies and Nato headquarters in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan on Sunday.

As if in a knee-jerk reaction, US Ambassador Ryan C Crocker said that the attacks carried the signature of the Haqqani network – the deadliest of all Taliban factions.

Speaking at a press briefing at Pentagon with Defence Secretary Leon Panetta on Monday, Gen Dempsey said Haqqani network fighters were present on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, and declined to comment on whether the attack was planned in
Pakistan until the US had received evidence.

To a question, Secretary Panetta said there was no question that the Haqqanis were based in Pakistan. “They have also moved across the border and operate in enclaves in Afghanistan. There is a concern that they continue to find safe haven in Pakistan. We
have made clear to the Pakistanis that this is not tolerable,” he added.

Panetta said they had intelligence indicating that the Haqqani network was behind Sunday’s attacks in Kabul. “We had received a great deal of intelligence that the Haqqanis were planning these kinds of attacks,” he added. Secretary Panetta said the attacks
reflect that the Taliban are resilient, and this was the beginning of their spring offensive. However, he added that they believed that with the Afghan army, the US would be able to combat these attacks. US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, meanwhile, telephoned
Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and discussed the likely fallout of the attacks. Though Pakistan’s foreign ministry was quiet about the telephone conversation, the US State Department confirmed that Secretary Clinton discussed with Khar their shared responsibility
to confront militants.

Both “discussed the cowardly attacks in Afghanistan,” the State Department said in a statement. “Secretary Clinton underscored our shared responsibility for robust action … to confront and defeat terrorists and violent extremists.”

“This certainly puts more pressure on us,” acknowledged the official while requesting anonymity.

On the other hand, President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the ‘terrorist attacks’ in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

According to his spokesman, the president expressed the resolve that people and government of Pakistan would continue to stand with their Afghan brethren in their time of distress and difficulty.

“Pakistan has always desired a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan as it was in Pakistan’s own national interest,” Zardari added.

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Posted by Ammar Ahmad on Apr 18 2012. Filed under Latest News, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry