Ghani again called on Pakistan to begin serious combat against terrorism

President Muhammad Ashraf Ghani in a phone call to Paksitani Prime Minister, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Monday urged Pakistan to begin a serious combat against terrorism.

Ghani demanded tough action from Pakistan against Taliban militants amid deteriorating security situation along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

In late April, the Taliban militant group announced the start of its annual offensive against Afghan forces and the US-led foreign troops and launched a new wave of attacks across the war-ravaged country.

The Afghan president also reiterated Kabul’s longstanding demand that Pakistan deny the militants sanctuary and hideouts on its side of the border.

President Ghani also expressed grief over the loss of lives in Badhaber airbase attack.

He condemned the terrorist attack in strongest of words.

“The Afghan President condemned the attack on the air force base and extended his heartfelt condolences on demise of civil and military personnel in the incident,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.

It added, “the Afghan President said Afghanistan will never allow its land to be used against Pakistan by anyone”.

Pakistani Taliban militants dressed in official uniforms attacked the air force base near the northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, killing at least 29 people, most of them soldiers, the group’s deadliest assault in months following a major military offensive against them.

All 14 attackers were also killed by security agencies.

The insurgents entered the residential compound at the base, attacking a mosque where they killed 16 air force personnel as they were about to offer dawn prayers.

A splinter group of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan(TTP) claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack in an e-mail sent to journalists.

In the meantime, a number of military analysts are said to believe that with criticizing Afghanistan in Paksitan air base attack, the country’s spy agency seeks to prevent the complaints of Afghanistan to the United Nations over interference of Pakistan in Afghan government affairs.

Tensions and distrust between the two neighbors have escalated in recent years. Senior Afghan officials have frequently blamed elements within Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for harboring Taliban militants, who have waged a 13-year war against Afghan and foreign forces in the country.

This is while Islamabad blames Kabul for giving refuge to militants on its side of the border.