Washington, Sept 20(ANI): The Haqqani network is seen by parts of the Pakistan Government as a valuable ally, and receives protection and support from facets of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Frank J. Cilluffo, Director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at the George Washington University, has said.
"Today, the Haqqani Network is operationally based in North Waziristan, the remote border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan. They receive protection and support from facets of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI, which continues to drag its feet on taking action against the Haqqanis because they see the network as a useful proxy to expand their influence and establish footholds in Afghanistan," Cilluffo told US lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.
"Because the Haqqani network is seen by parts of Pakistan's government as a valuable ally, the government has refused to take action in the tribal regions of Waziristan which creates safe havens, not only for the Haqqanis but for al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, with which the Haqqanis are intimately involved," he added.
Noting that the Haqqani network poses a significant threat to United States and Indian interests in the region, he said that the militant outfit has long served as an enabler, predominantly for al Qaeda, but with the overarching goal of expanding global militancy.
Cilluffo told US lawmakers that Pakistan has significant, historical links to the Haqqani network and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and that both organisations pose serious security implications for US interests.
He also noted that a third terrorist organisation exercising significant influence in the region is Harakat ul-Jihad-I-Islami (HuJI), led by Ilyas Kashmiri, who spent years in the Pakistan Army's Special Forces and fighting in Afghanistan against the Soviets, and was able to translate that experience into effective leadership of HuJI's forces in Kashmir.
"Before the United States can take actions to assume a lighter footprint (especially in Afghanistan), it is paramount that we hold Pakistan accountable to take action against the extremist forces festering under their watch," he said.
"The litmus test here is whether Pakistan will sever its historic ties to its proxies, namely LeT in India and the Haqqani Network in Afghanistan. While we acknowledge the fact that there are some factions in Pakistan that will never cut these ties, we must also realize that some in Pakistan recognize the threat these groups pose," he added.
Cilluffo went on to say that those individuals are motivated to cooperate with the US, and "we should continue to do all we reasonably can to encourage and support their efforts. This is not only in the best interests of the United States and India, but also of Pakistan." (ANI)
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