Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

Kabul Optimistic as US Withholds $50m Reimbursement to Pakistan over Haqqani Network

Kabul Optimistic as US Withholds $50m  Reimbursement to Pakistan over Haqqani Network

KABUL - The Afghan government is optimistic that the withholding of reimbursements to Pakistan by the Department will have an impact regarding the country’s decision to provide sanctuaries to Afghan militants, specifically the Haqqani terrorist network.
A presidential spokesman Dawa Khan Meenapal told RFE said the move will not be ineffective and will have some affects, insisting that such a step was supposed by taken by the United States.
Meenapal further added that the Afghan government’s demand is that pressure should be brought on all those countries and sides that support, equip and finance the terrorist groups.
A US official quoted by Reuters said Friday that United States will withhold $50 million remaining in military reimbursements to Pakistan for fiscal year 2016 because Defense Secretary Jim Mattis believes that Islamabad has not done enough to blunt the Islamist militant Haqqani network.
This comes as the United States Department of States released its latest reports regarding terrorism for 2016 last week, providing an overall report regarding the terrorism related upheavals during the year.
The new report by the State Department further strengthens the claims made by the Afghan officials regarding the presence of the safe havens of the Taliban and Haqqani terrorist network inside the Pakistani territory.
“Afghanistan, in particular, continued to experience aggressive and coordinated attacks by the Afghan Taliban, including the affiliated Haqqani Network (HQN) and other insurgent and terrorist groups,” the report stated.
The Department of State also added that a number of these attacks were planned and launched from safe havens in Pakistan. (KP)