Joint action against Haqqanis: Pakistan spurns US demand

PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): Pakistan on its soil, a media report said on Thursday.  

Islamabad rejected the demand out of hand last week when US Secretary of Defense James Mattis with senior Pakistani civilian and military leaders, The News said.

Mattis called for join operations against the Haqqani Network militants inside the lawless tribal region near the Afghanistan border, the newspaper added.

It quoted a diplomatic source as saying talks between the two sides ended on an inconclusive note, with Pakistan declining the US demand for joint military operations.

However, Pakistan signaled its willingness to crack down on all militant outfits based on actionable intelligence from the US. “Any foreign action on Pakistani soil is not acceptable,” Mattis was told.

The defense secretary met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

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