US says Pak unwilling to target Taliban commanders fuelling Afghan insurgency

Islamabad, Sep.20 (ANI): US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne Patterson, has said that Islamabad is reluctant to target Taliban leaders present on its soil despite repeated appeals by America in this regard.

In an interview with a US daily, Patterson said even after eight years of Pakistan agreeing to support the US in its war against the Al-Qaeda and Taliban, Islamabad, it appears, has 'different priorities' from the US.

"It is 'certainly reluctant to take action' against the leaders of the Afghan insurgency," Patterson said.

She said Pakistan's laid back attitude had affected US goals and was undermining the efforts of the allied forces to deny Al-Qaeda and other extremist outfits to establish a sanctuary in Afghanistan.

"Where we differ, of course, is the treatment of the groups who are attacking our troops in Afghanistan. And that comes down to Haqqani and Gul Bahadur and Nazir, to a lesser extent Hekmatyar, and yes, of course, there are differences there," Patterson told The McClatchy.

She highlighted that the threat emanating from different Talibani groups posed the biggest problem in Afghanistan.

"My own view is that the Haqqani group is the biggest threat in Afghanistan. The Quetta Shura, yes, is sort of a command and control. They move in and out of Afghanistan," The Daily Times quoted Patterson, as saying. (ANI)