ISLAMABAD: The United States should focus on defeating Muslim militant enemies inside Afghanistan instead of blaming Pakistan for its failure, Pakistani officials said on Monday.| Couldn't possibly be the fault of the country offering sanctuary to the Haqqanis, now could it... |
"Whenever big attacks in Kabul or elsewhere in Afghanistan take place this blame game starts," a senior military official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters. "Instead of blaming us, they should take action against terrorists on their side of the border."
| How about we whack the terrorists on both sides of the border? |
| A little late to be asking permission for that. |
| I wouldn't ask for permission. Heck, I wouldn't even ask for forgiveness afterwards. |
| We haven't been. :-) |
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan last week the United States would "do everything we can" to defend US forces from Pakistan-based militants staging attacks in Afghanistan.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Pakistan in 3-1/2 hours of talks on Sunday to attack the Haqqani network, a senior US official said.
On Monday, Pentagon spokesman George Little suggested patience with Pakistan was wearing thin as US officials repeated their calls for greater action against the group.
"The Haqqani network has blood of American soldiers and our allies on its hands. ... Anyone who can bring pressure to bear on the Haqqani network should, immediately and with every leverage point they can use," he said.
Munter indicated ties with Pakistan, which relies on billions of dollars of US aid, were still heavily strained. "These relations today need a lot of work," he said.
The view from Pakistan differs. "They (the Americans) say militants come from Pakistan but they travel up to Kabul and no one arrests them all the way to Kabul. It is their responsibility (to arrest them there) not ours," said the senior Pakistani military official.
| How about we deep-fat-fry them at the border? |
"Any perceptional differences warrant deeper engagement and that is taking place," she said.
"Terrorism and extremism are a much bigger threat to Pakistan than to the United States," said Mahmud Ali Durrani, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United States.
| Funny, the Pak government never acts as if that's true... |