Pakistan, Afghanistan start talks on dealing with insurgents
Pakistan
Pakistan, Afghanistan start talks on dealing with insurgents
Afghanistan and Pakistan are talking about how to make peace with insurgents fighting US troops in Afghanistan, including one faction considered the coalition forces' most lethal foe, according to Pakistani and US officials. The discussions reflect the beginnings of a thaw in relations between Kabul and Islamabad, which are increasingly focused on shaping the aftermath of what they fear could be a more abrupt withdrawal of US troops than is now anticipated. But one element of the effort -- outreach by Pakistan to the militia headed by the young commander Sirajuddin Haqqani -- faces opposition from US officials, who consider the al-Qaeda-linked group too brutal to be tolerated. Several weeks ago, Pasha and Pakistan's army chief of staff, Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, returned to continue the discussion. There is no agreement between the two nations, but a Pakistani security official said the outreach to insurgents is not a problem. The previously undisclosed visits came as the United States, gradually warming to the idea of reconciliation with insurgents, encourages improved relations between the two governments, which have long viewed each other with suspicion. But Obama administration officials have cautioned Afghanistan and Pakistan that they will not support talks with Haqqani's militia.
