THE TELEGRAPH: Pakistan is continuing to support militant groups further undermining coalition efforts in Afghanistan and increasing the risk of terror attacks overseas, according to a new report by security analysts.
The study by the Rand Corporation, a non-profit research group, said the US should withhold some aid until Islamabad makes progress in tackling the insurgents on its doorstep.
If not, they concluded, Jihadi organisations would become increasingly capable of exporting terror, such as the attempted Times Square bombing on May 1.
"A number of militant networks – including al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad – remain entrenched in Pakistan and pose a grave threat to the state and the region," said Seth Jones, one of the authors.
"Pakistan has long used its support of militant groups as a foreign policy tool, so ending that will take time." Pakistan's commitment to tackling home-grown militants has long been questioned.
Groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba have their roots in Pakistan's conflict with India over Kashmir. Others were nurtured by Islamabad as they fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, before taking control of the country as the Taliban.
The Pakistani government is under pressure to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan, headquarters of the Haqqani network, one of the most dangerous insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan. >>> Rob Crilly in Islamabad | Monday, June 21, 2010
