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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: Ahead of the US Defense Secretary James Mattis visit to Pakistan, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo has warned that Washington will launch direct action, if Pakistan fails in shunning terror safe havens in its soil.
While televising a new US strategy on Afghanistan and South Asia in August, President Donald Trump had asked Pakistan to shun terror sanctuaries where from terrorist outfits have been launching and operating terrorist and destructive attacks in Afghanistan. But, Pakistan has yet to abandon its project of terrorism.
The US Defense Secretary James Mattis made a visit to Pakistan on Monday, and CIA Chief Pompeo said the Mattis visit was aimed at making clear President Trump’s intent and “will deliver the message to take result-oriented steps against terrorists in its soil.” He added the terror safe haven inside Pakistan has worked to the detriment of our capacity to do what we needed to do in Afghanistan.
He highlighted how US would deal with the situation if Islamabad turned down request to turn around its project of terrorism and eradicate terror havens.
“In the absence of the Pakistanis achieving that, we are going to do everything we can to make sure that the safe haven no longer exists,” he said as quoted by Pakistani newspaper Dawn.
Moreover, Leon Panetta, a former CIA director, said terrorism and destruction will continue in Afghanistan unless Pakistan changes its behavior.
“On one hand, yes, they do not like terrorism, or attacks from terrorism in their country. But at the same time, they don’t mind using terrorism as leverage to deal with Afghanistan and to deal with India,” he said.
The US military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson has repeatedly announced that the Pakistan, as usual, remains a perpetrator of cross-point terrorism and no change has been noticed in Pakistan’s behavior. Besides the repeated visits by the US officials to Pakistan, threatening messages and allowing military aid, Pakistan still stuck to its pro-terror policies and making attempts to brings changes in the US policy, instead of changing itself and thoroughly denying terror safe sanctuaries in various parts of country.
