Panetta: Patience with Pakistan ‘reaching limits’
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Thursday pressured Pakistan to do more to root out the al-Qaida-linked Haqqani terrorist network from its territory, saying that U.S. officials are “reaching the limits of our patience.”
The Haqqani group has been blamed for several attacks on Americans in Afghanistan, including last year’s attack against the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul. It also has ties to the Taliban and has emerged as perhaps the biggest threat to stability in Afghanistan.
U.S. lawmakers from both parties have been urging the U.S. State Department to designate the Haqqani network a foreign terrorist organization.
The U.S. has given Pakistan billions of dollars in aid for its support in fighting Islamist militants. Despite pressure from the U.S., Pakistan has remained reluctant to go after insurgents, particularly the Haqqani network.