Washington: The US threatens to do “everything” to eliminate insurgent safe havens in Pakistan if Islamabad does not take action to do so itself.
CIA chief, Mike Pompeo, has warned Pakistan that if it does not eliminate the alleged safe havens inside its territory, the United States will do “everything we can” to destroy them.
The warning came after he was asked at the Reagan National Defence Forum in Simi, California, how the Trump administration would persuade Pakistan to adhere to its new Afghan strategy.
“You begin by seeking their assistance,” Pompeo said.
He noted that the US Defence Secretary James Mattis will be traveling to Pakistan to “make clear the president’s intent” and “will deliver the message that we would love you to do that. Pompeo said safe havens inside Pakistan has worked to the detriment of US capacity “to do what we needed to do in Afghanistan”.
He explained how the Trump’s administration would deal with the situation if Pakistan ignored US request “In the absence of the Pakistanis achieving that (ridding their country of insurgent bases), we are going to do everything we can to make sure that that safe-havens no longer exist.”
Pakistan denies sheltering the militants, and the issue has emerged as a major irritant to bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan.
In October Mattis said the US would try “one more time” to work with Pakistan before taking “whatever steps are necessary” to address its alleged support for the militants.
