US reaching limits of patience with Pakistan, says Panetta
Making an unannounced visit to Kabul, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Thursday said the United States was "reaching the limits of our patience" with Pakistan for allowing militant groups to enjoy safe haven inside parts of the country.
The tough stance on Pakistan came from Panetta during a press conference in Kabul with his Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak. He flew to Kabul from India, after a two-day visit.
Panetta called upon Pakistan to root out the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani terror network.
"It is difficult to achieve peace in Afghanistan as long as there is safe haven for terrorists in Pakistan," he said.
His visit came at a time when Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accused NATO forces of killing 18 civilians in an air strike on a house in Logar province.
Within hours of Panetta's arrival, President Karzai released a written statement decrying a predawn NATO air strike that led to the death of killed 18 civilians, including women and children, at a wedding.
Karzai termed the strike "unacceptable".
"I think it's important to make sure we are aware of the kind of attacks they're going to engage in ... as we go through the rest of the summer," Panetta told reporters.
NATO has sent a team to investigate allegations that civilians were killed in the attack.
Meanwhile, villagers displayed 18 bodies on Wednesday, including five women, seven children and six men.
Panetta said he wanted an assessment of the situation from top U.S. commander, Marine Gen. John Allen, on how confident he is about NATO's ability to face the threats from the Taliban and the Haqqani network.
This is Panetta's fourth trip to Afghanistan as Defense Secretary.
Source: United States News.Net
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