Afghan militants attack from Pakistan: US officer

Afghan militants attack from Pakistan: US officer

KABUL: Afghan guerrillas are still launching attacks from the safety of Pakistan despite the Pakistani military’s battle against Islamic militants, a US army officer said on Monday. Afghan government and US military accusations that Taliban and other Islamic militants are able to operate from Pakistan have angered Pakistan, which has been trying to clear militants from its western border region. “My base, where I live, is in Khost province, and I will say, absolutely, there are insurgents coming across the border from Pakistan attacking into Khost, then returning back into Pakistan,” Colonel Gary Cheek told a news conference. Cheek is commander of about 4,000 US-led troops in 16 eastern Afghan provinces, including Khost. He commended the Pakistani military for operations, launched more than a year ago, to clear militants from the rugged Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan, fighting in which hundreds of Pakistani servicemen have been killed and wounded. reuters