Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Afghanistan

Afghanistan, Pakistan Have 'Common Enemy'

Presidents Karzai and Musharraf (right) at a previous meeting (CTK)

September 6, 2006 -- Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai today for talks on fighting cross-border terrorism.

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September 06, 2006

After talks in Kabul, Musharraf said Pakistan and Afghanistan need to work together on fighting "the scourge of terrorism and extremism" facing their countries.

He said Pakistan and Afghanistan share a "common enemy" in the triple threat of the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and what he called the "Talibanization" of society.

Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are believed to operate on Pakistan's territory, while Pakistani officials say they believe insurgents in the southwestern Baluchistan Province have received munitions from smugglers in Afghanistan.

The Afghan and Pakistani governments have previously accused each other of not doing enough to secure the Afghan-Pakistani frontier.

(AP)

Afghanistan And Pakistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (left) with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad in October 2005 (epa)

ACROSS A DIFFICULT BORDER. The contested border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is some 2,500 kilometers long and runs through some of the most rugged, inhospitable territory on Earth. Controlling that border and preventing Taliban militants from using Pakistan as a staging ground for attacks in Afghanistan is an essential part of the U.S.-led international coalition's strategy for stabilizing Afghanistan. Officials in Kabul have been pointing their fingers at Pakistan for some time, accusing Islamabad or intelligence services of turning a blind eye to cross-border terrorism targeting the Afghan central government. Many observers remain convinced that much of the former Taliban regime's leadership -- along with leaders of Al-Qaeda -- are operating in the lawless Afghan-Pakistani border region.... (more)