Taliban responsible for ensuring Afghan soil not used as safe haven for terrorists: US

WASHINTON: The United States reiterated that the Afghan Taliban must ensure that their country isn’t used for terror attacks as Pakistan blames the neighbouring nation for harbouring hardliners Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Geo News reported.

“Taliban has the responsibility to prevent [...] Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing. The development came after the top brass of the Pakistan Army said that sanctuaries and liberty of action available to terrorists of proscribed TTP and other groups of that ilk in Afghanistan is one of the major reasons impacting the security of Islamabad. At the 258th Corps Commanders Conference (CCC) under the chairmanship of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, the army noted that the TTP had obtained access to the latest weaponry due to their sanctuaries in Afghanistan. The terror attacks in Pakistan have spiked since November last year when the TTP ended its ceasefire agreement with Islamabad, with the armed forces also ramping up efforts against militants.