ISLAMABAD (AP) — The top U.S. military officer has publicly accused Pakistan’s spy agency of links to a powerful militant faction fighting in Afghanistan and says those ties are at the “heart” of tensions between the two nations.
The comments by Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, signal that Washington is not stepping down in a bruising dispute with Islamabad in recent months that has threatened cooperation in the campaign against extremists.
Mullen told Geo TV in an interview Wednesday that Pakistan’s spy agency has a “long-standing relationship with the Haqqani network” and that “has got to change.”
A spokesman for Pakistan’s spy agency declined comment.
NATO and US officials say the Haqqani network is based in northwest Pakistan and is responsible for many of the attacks in Afghanistan.
