US pressing Pak to 'do more' against Afghan Taliban: Holbrooke

Lahore, Dec. 13 (ANI): US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that Washington is trying to press Pakistan to "do more" against the Afghani Taliban thriving on Pak-Afghani border.

Holbrooke said that while Pakistan's military offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan and Swat is going on for almost six months, the army is yet to take any solid steps against the Afghani Taliban.

"But as far as the Afghan branch [of the Taliban is concerned] ... we think more can be done, and we're talking to the Pakistanis about it," the Daily Times quoted Holbrooke, as saying.

Holbrooke added that the capture or killing of Osama Bin Laden should not be a "single factor" in fighting terrorism. Laden's capture would not solve the problem of terrorism, he said.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Holbrooke said that the US is working aggressively with Islamabad to prevent the feared spill-over of Afghan-Taliban in Waziristan region following an American troop surge in Afghanistan.

Pakistani authorities fear a US troop increase in neighbouring Afghanistan could undermine Pakistan's own offensive to eliminate the Taliban from South Waziristan and complicate efforts to find Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders hiding in the porous frontier, Holbrooke noted.

"It's a legitimate concern," he said. (ANI)