Afghanistan has urged the United States to focus on eliminating pro-Taliban sanctuaries across the Afghan border after the organisation WikiLeaks released classified documents detailing Pakistan's spy agency's collaboration with the Taliban.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Afghanistan's National Security Council head Rangeen Dadfar Spanta called upon Washington to review its Afghan policy by concentrating on Taliban sanctuaries and bases in Pakistan.
Those supporting militants should be punished rather than treated as an ally, said Mr. Spanta, who for several years served as Afghanistan's Foreign Minister in the administration of President Hamid Karzai.
Mr. Spanta also questioned the U.S.' rationale for spending billions of dollars in Pakistan as part of the Afghan centred counter-terrorism campaign.
“It is really not justifiable for the Afghan people that how come you give to one country $11 billion or more as help for reconstruction or strengthen its security or defensive forces, but from other side the very forces train terrorism,” he said.
Mr. Spanta's remarks were in line with observations of Mr. Karzai, who also asked Washington to target centres of Taliban's political, financial and ideological support across the border. “The recent documents leaked out to the media clearly support and verify... that success over terrorism does not come with fighting in Afghan villages, but by targeting its sanctuaries and financial and ideological sources across the borders,” said Mr. Karzai on Monday.
“Our efforts against terrorism will have no effect as long as these sanctuaries and sources remain intact.”
Separately in a statement on Tuesday, Afghanistan's National Security Council said the U.S. had failed to attack the Taliban's back-up in Pakistan during the course of the nine year conflict. “With regret ... our allies did not show necessary attention about the external support for the international terrorists ... for the regional stability and global security,” said the Council in a statement.
Calling for a firm stance from the U.S. and its NATO allies, the statement added that pursuit of a “contradictory and vague policy against the forces who use terrorism as a tool for interference and sabotage against others, have had devastating results”.
Wahid Omer, spokesman for Mr. Karzai, also said Kabul had provided to its “international partners” information about the presence of “certain forces beyond the Afghanistan borders in destabilising Afghanistan”. He added that Mr. Karzai's administration will be persistent in raising this issue of cross-border external support until “the root causes of instability and terror here in Afghanistan,” are addressed.
