Updated on
Summary US is still hopeful of securing release of Sergeant Bergdahl being held captive by Haqqani network.
The spokesperson of the US State Department, Patrick Ventrell has said that the administration was using all the tools available to bring Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl home safely. While we can’t discuss all the details of our efforts, there should be no doubt that we work every day, using our military, intelligence, and diplomatic tools to try to see him returned home safely, he assured.When asked how could the Haqqani network release Sergeant Bergdahl after they were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), the spokesman said that this could be raised as part of the ongoing reconciliation effort with Taliban.Reconciliation track is one area where we would discuss his case as part of the diplomatic track, he believed.We understand his family has already decided to make his case public, and he’s just been held for too long and we continue to call for his immediate release, he pointed out. On another question whether the US administration believed that Sergeant Bergdahl was still alive, he was reluctant to give a clear answer.Mr. Ventrell hoped that Haqqani networks designation would not adversely affect reconciliation efforts. We don’t see the designation today having a direct impact on the overall reconciliation efforts, he maintained.This strategy is about getting Afghans talking to Afghans about their future. So that track will continue irrespective of this particular decision. This decision was taken with respect to the law, with respect to all the information in front of the Secretary, to help degrade this terrorist network, he opined.The decision to designate Haqqani network, he said, had been under review for quite sometime. Squeezing the Haqqani Network is something that we’ve thought is very important, that we set as a priority for us. So that was something that was under review. Obviously, these are decisions that take careful review and are complex and require a very detailed review, he recounted while explaining the delay in reaching a conclusion.On the reasons to designate Haqqani network as FTO, he said the point of this designation was to degrade the ability of the Haqqanis to conduct violent acts. They’ve carried out lethal and complex attacks against American personnel and American facilities. And so the point of this is to degrade their ability to conduct these kinds of violent acts, he stated.He disagreed that this decision in any way could mean that Pakistan would be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. However, the US administrations concerns about safe heavens of terrorists in Pakistan were very much there, he said.We’ve been concerned about safe havens. We continue to raise with the Pakistanis our desire for more pressure on the Haqqanis. It’s something that we raise with them frequently, and we will continue to do so,, he argued.When asked to explain the impact of such a decision on US-Pakistan relations, he said the US raised these types of issues, like about the safe havens, through the channels open with them. It’s a challenging and complex relationship, but as the Secretary said, it’s a critical relationship, he emphasized.Pakistanis have a shared desire and a shared goal of combating terrorism as well. And we want a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan, and we think we’re on the right trajectory. So no doubt that there have been some complex issues, but we continue to be on the right track, he said while referring to the disagreement with Pakistan in the recent past over the issue of crackdown against Haqqani network.He did concede that the US wanted Pakistan to take more stern action against Haqqani network. We want the Pakistanis to put more pressure on the Haqqani Network. We’ll continue to work together to put the squeeze on the Haqqani Network.They’ve targeted us, our people, our facilities, and so we think it’s very important to put the squeeze on them, and so that’s our message, he said in a firm tone.On the other hand, the Pentagon spokesman also welcomed the decision by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, George Little, in a statement said, we welcome Secretary Clintons announcement that the Haqqani network meets the statutory criteria for designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity under Executive Order 13224.The Haqqani network represents a significant threat to U.S. national security and we will continue our aggressive military action against this threat. These new group designations will build on our efforts to degrade the Networks capacity to carry out attacks, including affecting fundraising abilities, targeting them with our military and intelligence resources, and pressing Pakistan to take action, Mr. Little said.We will continue these efforts, reinforced by todays new designations. By strengthening our whole-of-government approach against the Haqqanis, we are supporting our campaign efforts in Afghanistan and further limiting the organizations capacity to destabilize the region, he observed.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
