Afghan Govt Claims Pakistan Sparing Haqqani Militants

The Afghan government has accused neighboring Pakistan of doing too little to target the notorious Haqqani terror network, said to be responsible for a recent car bombing that killed 89 Afghans.



Kabul said the Pakistani army is not going after the Pakistan-based network – named after founder Jalaludin Haqqani, a former Afghan fighter and Taliban government minister – as it wages a large-scale operation in North Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan.



The network has a history of launching attacks on Afghan and international security forces from Pakistan.



Last week's car bombing of a busy market in Urgun, Paktika province, claimed the lives of 89 civilians and has been blamed on the Haqqani group by the Afghan government, which has previously held it responsible for major terrorist attacks in Kabul.



The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the Pakistan military of planning to use the Haqqani network as a proxy to influence events in Afghanistan.



Spokesman Shakib Ahmad Mustaghni said: "As per concrete information from our security officials, Pakistan has been involved in recent unrest and insurgent activities in various parts of the country."



The spokesman alleged the Pakistan army was favoring Haqqani fighters and deliberately sparing them.



The Pakistan army launched a large-scale assault on the North Waziristan tribal region last month. The region is considered the network's hub and the militants can freely move across the porous border.



Earlier this month, the ministers for defense, interior and intelligence jointly accused Pakistan of being responsible for violence in Helmand, Kunar and Nooristan provinces.



Reacting to the latest allegation, Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said:  "We have very clearly stated that we are taking action against all terrorist groups. The Afghans should focus on taking action against militants taking refuge inside Afghanistan."



It has been claimed that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters have been using Afghanistan's Kunar and Nuristan provinces as bases to attack Pakistani security forces.



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