Washington/Islamabad, August 26(ANI): A delegation of four Senate Democrats visiting Islamabad are putting pressure on Pakistan leaders to help crack down on the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by extremists across the border in Afghanistan.
The delegation includes Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.), The Talk Radio News Service reports.
"The focus is on our troops serving in Afghanistan who are the victims of roadside bombs," Casey told reporters in a conference call from Islamabad, Pakistan.
Most IEDs, including roadside bombs, which extremists have commonly used to attack US and NATO forces in the region, are primarily created from ammonium nitrate that is smuggled from Pakistan into Afghanistan.
"We have to take steps to focus intensively on a strategy against this explosive device," Casey said.
Last year, 368 US troops were killed in Afghanistan by IEDs, while 125 US troops have already been killed by IEDs this year.
Casey explained that an entity has been set up, entitled the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO), to bring focus and expertise to the issue of eliminating such weapons.
Pakistan has both a counter-IED strategy and a plan for implementing that strategy, but the delegation of US Senators want Pakistani political and military leaders to put their plans to action.
"What we have to do now is keep pushing our government and keep pushing the Pakistanis to stop IEDs," Casey said. "We are making progress but we need to see results. We need to see strategies implemented." (ANI)
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