US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his telephonic call with Army Chief of Staff of Pakistan General Qamar Javed Bajwa to target and eliminate safe hideouts of Taliban militants along its border with Afghanistan.
Pentagon spokesperson Jhon Kirby said that secretary Austin believes the safe havens to be the main cause behind insecurity and the ongoing atrocities in Afghanistan.
The direct call on Pakistan comes as the country has always denied supporting and providing safe havens to the Taliban fighters. The Afghan government has been accusing its immediate neighbor of funding, training, supporting, and providing safe hideouts to the Taliban militants.
The Pentagon spokesperson said that the US does not feel to be reluctant in discussing safe havens along the Afg-Pak border with the leadership of Pakistan.
“The people of Pakistan are also victims of the terrorism in the region and there is a shared sense in closing down those safe havens and not allowing them to be used by the Taliban,” said Kirby.
As per the Pentagon spokesman, the US continues to raise the issue of the Taliban’s safe havens with the Pakistani leadership.
It comes as both the US and Pakistan are all set to attend Troika plus meeting on Afghanistan in the Qatari capital Doha comes off on Wednesday, August 11. (Khaama Press)