London, Apr. 24 (ANI): NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called on Pakistan to combat militants who use the country as a launchpad for attacks on neighbouring Afghanistan.
Rasmussen was speaking alongside Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the eve of US-led talks aimed at soothing tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports the BBC.
NATO is set to end its years-long combat mission in Afghanistan before the end of next year.
Rasmussen said they need a positive engagement of Pakistan to ensure long-term peace and stability not only in Afghanistan, but in the region. He said the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force was in the process of handing security operations to Afghan forces.
The 100,000 remaining ISAF soldiers are due to be withdrawn by the end of 2014, after which NATO says its role in the country will essentially be a training one.
Karzai said he was looking forward to NATO's continued support. He said Afghanistan would "definitely be able to provide for the security of the Afghan people".
Karzai was later scheduled to meet US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was also holding talks with Pakistan's military chief, Ashfaq Kayani.
Kerry hopes Wednesday's talks will help to bolster security in Afghanistan and along its rugged 2,600 km border with Pakistan.
He has described 2013 as a "critical" transition year for Afghanistan, 12 years after the US-led invasion to topple the Taliban regime that was harbouring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. (ANI)
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