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U.S. Warns Pakistan of Losing Ally Status if not Act against Terrorists’ ‘Safe Haven’
The United States warned Pakistan on Tuesday that it could lose its status as a privileged military ally if it continues providing safe haven to Afghan militant groups.
A day after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a new strategy to force the Taliban to negotiate a political settlement with the Kabul government, his top diplomat upped the heat on Islamabad.
Trump had warned that Pakistan’s support for the Afghan Taliban and other insurgents would have consequences, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has now spelled these out.
“We have some leverage,” Tillerson told reporters, as he fleshed out Trump’s speech, “in terms of aid, their status as a non-NATO alliance partner – all of that can be put on the table.”
As one of 16 “Non-NATO Major Allies,” Pakistan benefits from billions of dollars in aid and has access to some advanced U.S. military technology banned from other countries.
Tillerson said Washington wants to work with Pakistan as it expands its own support for Kabul in the battle against the Taliban, but warned it to close militant safe havens.
“We have put people on notice that if you’re providing safe haven to terrorists, be warned — we are going to engage those providing safe haven and ask them to change what they are doing.”
Tillerson added that, aside from the Afghans, Pakistan has more to gain “than any other nation” from an end to the fighting.
Following the matter, former Afghan National Security Council advisor, Rangin Dadfar Spanta, however, said that militarism is the biggest issue of the U.S. new strategy as he believes it will rise risks of Afghanistan being a battleground for regional powers.
He stressed that U.S. will not win the war as long as the country does not impose sanctions on Pakistan to force the country to act against the terrorists’ safe havens on its soil.
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More than 800 Afghan refugees deported from Pakistan in two days
As many as 837 Afghan refugees have been forced to return to their country through Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings in the last two days, officials announced on Saturday.
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said in a statement that 90 families comprising 468 people returned through Torkham crossing.
Another 67 families comprising 369 people returned through Spin Boldak crossing, it said.
The returnees have been introduced to international organizations to receive aid, and the Islamic Emirate has also paid 10,000 Afghanis to each family.
Pakistani government launched the second phase of deporting illegal refugees five days ago.
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Iran executes four Afghan prisoners
Iran executed four Afghan prisoners in Vakliabad Prison in Mashhad on Thursday morning, a human rights group reported.
Haalvsh said that the individuals had been arrested in 1398 over drug-related charges and then sentenced to death by the court.
This organization announced the names of the executed prisoners as Zaman Taheri, Salam Taheri, Gholam Qadir Samani and Ebrahim Noorzahi.
Zaman Taheri and Salam Taheri were brothers.
Iranian officials have not commented about the matter so far.
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Roof collapse kills two in Helmand
Two people were killed after roof of their house collapsed in southern Helmand province on Friday night, officials said.
Abdul Bari Rashid, head of information and culture in Helmand, told Ariana News that the incident occurred in Tajkan village of Gershak district due to heavy rain.
According to him, the dead include a woman and a child. A man was injured in the incident.
This comes as 10 people have died and six others have been injured as a result of the floods in Helmand province in the last one week.
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