WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army general nominated to head U.S. militaryoperations in Afghanistan has said that Pakistan, Russia, and Iran werecontinuing to support Taliban fighters.
In written remarks to the Senate Armed Services Committee, LieutenantGeneral Scott Miller, called the militant sanctuaries in Pakistan as one ofthe biggest challenges to Afghan stability.
Acknowledging that Pakistan has made many sacrifices and its securityforces have fought bravely, Gen. Miller said “We have not yet seen thesecounterterrorism efforts against anti-Pakistan militants translate intodefinitive actions against Afghan Taliban or Haqqani leaders residing inPakistan.”
This comes as the Afghan and US officials have long been criticizingPakistan for the lack of action against the Taliban and Haqqani terroristnetwork leadership councils based in its soil.
However, Pakistani officials have repeatedly rejected the allegations andclaim that the terror and militant groups have no organized presence inPakistan.
In the meantime, Gen. Miller has said that the US must be careful not towithdraw too quickly, warning that the terror groups will regroup andplunge the country into deeper conflict.
Gen. Miller further added that a rapid and hasty withdrawal fromAfghanistan could result in a situation similar to Iraq in 2015, when theIraqi military collapsed after a U.S. withdrawal and Islamic State fightersseized vast swaths of the country.