Washington, Feb 25(ANI): The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan had sent a top-secret cable to Washington warning that the continued presence of enemy havens in Pakistan was thwarting the success of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.
The cable, written by Ryan C. Crocker, amounted to an admission that years of U.S. efforts to curtail insurgent activity in Pakistan by the lethal Haqqani network, a key Taliban ally, were failing, The Washington Post reports.
The cable could be used as ammunition by senior military officials who favour more aggressive action by the United States against Haqqani havens in Pakistan, the paper said.
It could also lead to calls for a more gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, as the 2014 deadline for ending combat operations approaches, it added.
American frustration with insurgent havens in Pakistan has long been led to tensions in their ties.
"The sanctuaries are a deal-killer for the [Afghan war] strategy," a senior defense official, who is familiar with the ongoing debate, said.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul declined to comment on Crocker's cable.
"As a policy, we don't comment as to the existence or substance of top-secret cables," an embassy spokesperson said.
Pakistan has been unwilling to use its military against the Haqqani network, which is viewed by analysts as a Pakistani proxy to avoid provoking its host and instead directing its attacks against American, Indian and Afghan targets.
Though secret, Crocker's cable was the latest expression of American outrage with the situation. (ANI)
There are no comments yet