The U.S. withheld $300 million of military aid to Pakistan after Defense Secretary Ash Carter found he couldn’t certify that enough action had been taken against the Haqqani Network insurgent group, the latest dispute straining relations between the two nations.
“The funds could not be released to the government of Pakistan at this time because the secretary has not yet certified that Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network,” Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said in an e-mail on Thursday. “Pakistan’s efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas as a safe haven for terrorism. However, the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan.”
The Haqqani Network has long used Pakistani soil near the Afghan border as a safe haven to attack U.S. troops fighting Taliban militants in Afghanistan. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Pakistan has received billions of dollars in U.S. aid while providing supply lines for its invasion of Afghanistan. But the relationship has also been marked by tension over whether Pakistan is doing enough to combat militant groups. – READ MORE
