Pak continues to remain terrorist safe haven: US report

Washington: Terror groups like Haqqani network and LeT continue to enjoy safe havens in Pakistan due to the country's inability to control its own territory though killings of big-wigs like Osama bin Laden and Ilyas Kashmiri have put al Qaeda on path of decline, a US report said on Tuesday.

The 'Country Report on Terrorism 2011', released by the State Department, said portions of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Khyber Paktunkhwa (KPK) and Baluchistan remain a terrorist safe haven as government does not have much control on this part of the country.

"Given the inability of Pakistan's security agencies to fully control portions of its own territory, the Haqqani Network, the Quetta Shura, and Lashkar-e-Taiba, exploited the country to plan and direct operations," it said.

The report said Pakistan\'s FATA, KPK, and Baluchistan, remained a safe haven for terrorist groups seeking to conduct domestic, regional, and global attacks.

Militant groups operating from within Pakistan, it said, have conducted attacks against Afghan targets and Coalition Forces across the border.

"Portions of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Khyber Paktunkhwa (KPK), and Baluchistan, remained a safe haven for terrorist groups seeking to conduct domestic, regional, and global attacks," said the report.

The Congressionally-mandated report said the potential for trafficking and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction remained a concern in Pakistan due to the porous borders and the challenging security situation.

Pakistan remained a critical partner on counter terrorism efforts, actively engaging against al-Qaeda and the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

"However, its cooperation regarding other terrorist groups, such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was mixed. A series of events, including the May 2 Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Ladin, sparked intense international and domestic scrutiny of Pakistan's security establishment and strained the US-Pakistan relationship and bilateral counter terrorism efforts," the report said.

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