Pakistan supports Afghan militants: ISAF

“Pakistan is basically producing a lot of the ammonium Nitrate that is used on this side of the border for improvised explosive devices as a fertilizer that the insurgents primarily use to kill innocent Afghan civilians,” ISAF Spokesman Carsten Jacobson said.

Jacobson said Pakistan has influence over the Taliban leadership as well as militants who are active in border areas.

The homemade explosive devices alone killed 967 Afghan men, women and children in 2011, according to a United Nations report.

The UN report suggested that 77 percent of the 3,021 civilian deaths in 2011 in Afghanistan were caused by militants.

A total of 11,864 civilians have been killed in the Afghanistan conflict since 2007, the UN report added.

Relations between Islamabad and Washington significantly deteriorated last year after former US Joint Chief of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen accused Pakistan of “exporting” violence to Afghanistan by supporting militants.

The US general said in September 2011 that pro-Taliban militants from the Haqqani network act “as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Agency.”

Meanwhile, in early February, a leaked NATO report blamed Pakistani security services, including ISI intelligence agency, for lending support to Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, however, dismissed as “frivolous” the leaked report, saying Islamabad is “committed to non-interference in Afghanistan.”

AO/MYA/MA

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes