[Breitbart] Pakistan remained a safe haven last year for Afghan Taliban and Haqqani Network (HQN) jihadis despite the pressure the Trump administration applied on the country to stop harboring terrorist groups, the U.S. State Department reported on Wednesday.In its Country Reports on Terrorism 2017 released this week, which cover terrorist activities across the world last year, State noted:
The Pakistani government pledged support to political reconciliation between the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban but did not restrict the Afghan Taliban and HQN from operating in Pakistan-based safe havens and threatening U.S. and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in 2017, which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan.
Trump administration officials have described "reconciliation" between the Afghan Taliban and Kabul as the primary goal of the U.S. strategy to end the 17-year-old Afghan war.
In recent months, the U.S. has intensified its efforts to convince the Taliban to engage in peace talks with the Afghan government.
The Pentagon has for years cautioned that Pakistan knowingly serves as a sanctuary for Afghan Taliban and Haqqani terrorists who have killed and maimed U.S. and Afghan troops.
Taliban ally al-Qaeda is also known to operate along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.