News
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Pentagon asks Pakistan to ‘do more’ against terrorists
WASHINGTON: Repeating US concerns about the safe havens of the Taliban beyond the reach of NATO troops in Pakistan, a Pentagon report said on Friday that “to consolidate progress in security in recent months, Pakistan needed to make more headway in eliminating the sanctuaries”. In a twice-annual report to the US Congress, the Pentagon said that “a surge of foreign troops into Afghanistan has dealt a blow to the Taliban insurgency but total violence has risen since last fall”. It said the increase in overall security incidents, which includes roadside bombs and direct fire, was due in part to the surge of foreign troops, stepped-up targeting of insurgent safe havens, and mild winter weather. The Pentagon warned that “hard fighting” was likely ahead in 2011 as the Taliban, adapting its techniques to match intensified attacks from foreign adversaries, would try to regain areas of south Afghanistan. reuters
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk