Washington: The United States has said that if Pakistan wants to keep militants within it’s borders, it could do so as long as they don’t disturb peace in Afghanistan, reported the Dawn.
A spokesperson of the US State Department ruled out any any ‘hot pursuits into Pakistan.’
“Say, for example, we have troops in contact and then the Taliban forces go across the border. They are clearly inside Pakistan then,” said Lt Col Mike Andrews. “We have no authority to go into Pakistan. There’s no change with regard to respecting the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan.”
The Pentagon official explained that US troops in Afghanistan operated within Afghanistan’s borders only and they had no authority to cross that border. “If there is a way to get that authority, but that would certainly be the exception and not the norm,” he added.
Col Andrews pointed out that an exception did not apply to routine operations, and, therefore, crossing into Pakistan was not going to be a part of normal day-to-day operational rules of engagement for US commanders in Afghanistan.
“If the Taliban reside in Pakistan and we are able to provide safety and support and to help secure districts and provinces within Afghanistan, I think that is a trade-off that we’re willing to make,” he said. “Because it’s not necessarily about these people over in Pakistan, it is about the Afghan people.”
