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The US said the current "status quo" in Pakistan's restive tribal areas, which have become a safe haven for Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists, is "unacceptable" amid growing fears that Islamabad was not doing enough to battle militants holed up near the Af-Pak border.
Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, told reporters that there is "no excuse" for not taking action against the Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and their allies in the tribal and border areas of the country. Top US officials have repeatedly asserted that the restive tribal areas near the Af-Pak border is a safe haven for terrorists and Pakistan needs to act fast. Gibbs assertted that while "we understand that the status quo as are there now is also not acceptable." He said there is "no excuse for not taking action" against the terrorists. The issue would be taken up with the top Pakistani leadership, who would be in Washington later this month to attend the third US-Pak Strategic Dialogue.
While Gibbs indicated the US taking a tough stance against Pakistan's continued inability to address America's concerns with regard to the terrorist from its safe haven posing a serious threat to the US, he was also appreciative of the steps taken by the Pakistan Army in the last one year. The Obama administration, Gibbs said, is "heartened" by the steps taken by Pakistan to put Al Qaeda "under pressure" in the tribal areas. "We will continue to work on the relationship," he said.
Describing the relationship between the US and Pakistan, Gibbs said it is a "difficult and complex"situation. "We see improvements in some aspects, but more improvements have to be made," Gibbs said. The hard hitting US statement comes amid a media report that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI is pushing the Taliban to attack US troops and their allies based in Afghanistan. Several similar charges against ISI have been made in the past but The Wall Street Journal has suggested that this one was the "strongest yet" and showed a "deteriorating relationship with an essential ally in the Afghan campaign" which had received billions of dollars in aid.
Some Taliban commanders and US officials have accused ISI of telling the insurgents not to surrender and the Americans also say they have heard similar accounts fromcaptured militants. "The ISI wants to arrest commanders who are not obeying orders," a Taliban militant in Kunar province was quoted as saying by the Journal. "The ISI wants us to kill everyone--policemen, soldiers, engineers, teachers, civilians-- just to intimidate people," he said, adding that when he refused the ISI hadtried to arrest him. Now, the ISI's motivation to keep friendly relations with the insurgents is believed to be desire to keep its leverage in Afghanistan when the US eventually leaves, as well as preventing India from getting cosy inside the war-torn country, the report said.