‘Proof fighters trained in Pak’

Afghanistan has given neighbouring Pakistan confessions and other proof showing that the militants who carried out a recent series of attacks were trained in Pakistan and that Taliban leaders there are allowed to roam freely, Afghan officials said Thursday.

Interior minister Wais Ahmed Barmak told a news conference the evidence was presented at a meeting a day earlier in Islamabad. Afghanistan’s spy chief, Masoom Stanekzai, also attended the meeting, along with senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials.

Stanekzai, addressing the conference, said Afghanistan laid out its proof and asked Pakistan to take action to prevent further attacks. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan. A Pakistani delegation is due in Kabul on Saturday, said Stanekzai.

Nearly 200 people have been killed over the past month in attacks claimed by the Taliban and a rival Islamic State affiliate. Afghan authorities say they detained one of the gunmen who attacked a military academy on Monday, killing 11 people in an assault claimed by IS.

“The Taliban, with these actions, cannot call themselves a political organization,” Stanekzai said. “They are a terrorist organization.” “We expect action, not just talk,” he added.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have long accused each other of failing to combat militants operating along their border. The US has also accused Pakistan of harbouring militants, and suspended military aid last month. AP

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