Kabul urges Islamabad to stop cross-border raids by militants

08 Mar, 2006

Afghanistan fuelled a row with Pakistan Tuesday when it reiterated calls for its neighbour to stop cross-border raids by militants the same way it did during Afghan elections nearly two years ago.
The comment was the latest in an escalating tiff between the US "war on terror" allies about Taleban and al Qaeda insurgents whom Afghan officials say are directing a deadly insurgency from across the border.
President Hamid Karzai's office agreed with comments by Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf that Afghanistan's October 2004 presidential poll would not have been so peaceful without Islamabad's deployment of thousands of troops along the frontier.
If "Pakistan's co-operation can be effective in Afghanistan's elections, this co-operation can also be effective in fighting against terrorism," spokesman Karim Rahimi told reporters.
"That is why Afghanistan has repeatedly been asking for the sincere co-operation of Pakistan in regards to fighting terrorism..."
In particular it wanted "Pakistan to take measures slowly but effectively in cities and in tribal areas where terrorists have training centres, they get support and trained there and get organised."
Rahimi reiterated the government's defence of the intelligence, which included alleged sightings of the Taleban's fugitive leader Mullah Omar in Pakistan.
A parliamentary statement said Pakistan's "fingerprinting" and questioning the integrity of government intelligence and defence offices was "obvious interference", legislator Shukria Barakzai told AFP.
Afghan officials have been reluctant to criticise Musharraf although one said on condition of anonymity that his comments were "highly undiplomatic".

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