WASHINGTON: A US military chief has issued a warning that the border
region between Afghanistan and Pakistan remains the epicentre of
terrorism during an unannounced visit to the NATO-led mission.
Adm
Mike Mullen reiterated that Pakistan was still a safe haven harbouring
Al-Qaeda despite the death of Osama bin Laden at the beginning of May.
Speaking
to NATO TV, he said: "Pakistan still is home to many terrorists and
other terrorist organisations like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and
Haqqani network.
"And, clearly, those who live in Quetta come here with a goal of overturning the government of Afghanistan."
Twelve
Afghan police officers and one civilian were killed when a suicide
bomber attacked the police headquarters in the provincial capital,
Lashkar Gah, where British Task Force Helmand is also based.
But
Adm Mullen said he was confident that the transition would continue
with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) working
alongside Afghan counterparts.
"We recognise the challenges
posed by the some of the recent spectacular attacks and assassinations.
We are doing all we can with the Afghan security forces to prevent
those in the future.
"We see a situation in the future where
many of the Taliban leaders have either been taken off the battlefield
or have returned to the safe havens in Pakistan. We see weakness in the
Taliban’s tactics in some areas," he asserted.
Adm Mullen also
stressed that the withdrawal of 33,000 US troops - announced by
President Obama in June - would not put the NATO-led mission at risk.
Ten
thousand American soldiers are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the
end of the year with the remaining 23,000 troops withdrawn by September
2012. Online
