Progress in Afghanistan remains threatened by insurgents who have a safe harbour in Pakistan, a Pentagon report said Tuesday, dpa reported.
The Afghan update, delivered every six months to the US Congress, said that Taliban insurgents and al-Qaeda affiliates "still operate with impunity from sanctuaries in Pakistan."
"The insurgency's safe haven in Pakistan, as well as the limited capacity of the Afghan government, remain the biggest risks to the process of turning security gains into a durable and sustainable Afghanistan."
The Pentagon said that the insurgency was a "resilient and determined" enemy which has "notable operational and regenerative capacity" thanks to its safe havens inside Pakistan.
Corruption also hampers both the effectiveness and the legitimacy of the Afghan government, the report said.
US-Pakistan relations remain rocky on the first anniversary of the secret raid into Pakistan by US Navy SEALs that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011. Bin Laden had been living for at least five years in a huge, secretive compound just 60 kilometres from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
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