US working with Pakistan, Afghanistan to end terrorism — Feldman

Washington: The United States hopes for close border coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This was said by US Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Daniel Feldman while speaking to reporters at the Washington Foreign Press Centre.

He dismissed the allegations that Islamabad does not want stability on the border with Afghanistan.

The envoy said it is in the interest of all countries in the region to have stability along the border.

Feldman said the United States was working with both Pakistan and Afghanistan to address terrorism threats.

He said Washington is committed to assisting a democratic Afghanistan but it is for Afghans to determine how they intend to form a government of national unity.

In Islamabad, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said the army has managed to eliminate the “terrorists” command and control centre in the North Waziristan tribal region.

In a statement on Saturday, he said command and control structure of the terrorists has been made dysfunctional in North Waziristan.

Asif said the armed forces were going after the terrorists, adding that these elements would be apprehended regardless of where they may be located in the country.

“The state will go after the terrorists in all provinces,” the minister said, adding that the state had managed to ensure that the network of militants had started to collapse.

Khawaja Asif said that coordination among the security institutions have been further strengthened to avert terrorist attacks.

The defence minister’s statement comes a little over a month after the launch of a full scale military operation in North Waziristan.

Operation Zarb-i-Azb in the militancy-infested region was launched nearly a week after the attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport in order to wipe out long-standing bases of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups.

The semi-autonomous tribal area on the Afghan border has for years been a hideout for several militant groups — including Al Qaida and the TTP as well as foreign fighters such as Uzbeks and Uighurs.

Meanwhile, in Peshawar the Federal Government has accelerated disbursement of cash assistance among displaced people of North Waziristan Agency.

FATA Disaster Management Authority sources told that 109 million rupees were disbursed among the IDPs during the last twenty four hours.

A total cash assistance of 262.2 million rupees has so far been given to the IDPs, registered at Saidgai Check Post located in Frontier Region Bannu.

The authority has now started disbursement of cash assistance among IDPs in Bannu, Kurram Agency and Peshawar.

Terrorists’ command, control centre in NWA eliminated: Asif