TIL Desk/World/Islamabad/ Pakistan’s leadership has slammed the top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John W. Nicholson, a day after he claimed that Washington “knows the Afghan Taliban leadership is in Quetta and Peshawar”. Turning the tables, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told that the “Taliban were using Afghanistan as the launch pad for their operations, both inside and outside Pakistan”.
He said the Taliban had no need to hide in Pakistan, since they held more than 40 per cent of Afghanistan, the daily reported on Monday. “If they have control over so much land and resources in Afghanistan, it means they have hideouts there, not in Pakistan,” Iqbal said.
Nicholson told on Saturday that Washington was aware of the Afghan Taliban leadership’s presence in the two Pakistani cities, adding that the US military would continue to put pressure on Taliban sanctuaries inside and outside Afghanistan.
“The Quetta shura, Peshawar shura—these shuras are identified by cities inside Pakistan. We know Afghan Taliban leaders are in these areas. Support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced – (it) has to be stopped,” Gen. Nicholson said.
