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Clinton vows better Afghan border coordination to avert militant influx into Pakistan
WASHINGTON, Dec 14 (APP): The United States “wants to do a better job” of coordinating with Pakistan to minimize the possibility of any militnat influx into its territory from across the porous Afghan border, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said as Washington readied to start deployment of 30,000 additional troops to contain Taliban insurency in Afghanistan.



“We want to work closely with Pakistan. I think the additional troops that are going in will give the Afghan side of the border more protection. But we have to coordinate closely, because we know very well that this border is in such difficult terrain and it is hard to secure all of it,” Clinton told a Pakistani TV channel.
The top U.S. diplomat acknowledged the need for “more joint efforts on both sides.
“We need to have the good advice and guidance of the Pakistani
military to tell us where we should be, and we’ll work closely together,” she told SAMMA TV, speaking about coopertion between the two anti-terror allies on implementing President Obama’s revamped strategy that earlier this month sanctioned additional troops deployment.
Senior U.S. military leaders CENTCOM Chief Gen David Petraeus are visiting Pakistan to discuss Afghan strategy coordination with Pakistani civilian and military leaders.
Islamabad fears that despite its vigilant efforts some militants might try to cross some difficult points of the more than 2000 km long Afghan border and slip into its tribal areas and Balochistan province, adding further strain on its anti-militant struggle.
In the interview, Clinton noted that “Pakistan has fenced certain areas, particularly remote areas, and used other techniques to try to secure the border” and voiced understanding the difficult task facing Pakistan.
“We will work with Pakistan and we will also look for ways that can provide security in difficult to guard places, because we have problems securing our border with Mexico. I mean, securing borders is extremely difficult. So we have a lot of sympathy for the challenges that the Pakistanis are facing. But we just have to keep working at it and get better at how we protect the border.
She reaffirmed the Obama Administration’s commitment to sustained economic and security assistance for Pakistan .
“Of course, we currently are providing military and civilian aid in order to assist both the Pakistani Government and the Pakistani military, and most importantly, the Pakistani people.
We’ve provided more aid than anyone for refugees, because we believe strongly that what Pakistan is doing in going after the militants, first in Swat and now in Waziristan, is very much in Pakistan’s interest, but it’s also in Afghanistan’s interest and it’s in the interest of the world, because these terrorists are now becoming a real threat to the state of Pakistan.
“So we will continue to offer whatever assistance we can in order to support what the Pakistani military is doing.”

Source:app.com.pk/