Mullen: Haqqani network is an "arm" of Pakistani intelligence

Admiral Mike Mullen gives his final speech to Congress before his retirement The US Navy Commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, has accused Pakistan’s government of supporting violence in  Afghanistan. In a parting speech delivered to the Congress a week before his retirement, Mullen alleged that the Haqqani network, which is believed to be behind the US embassy siege in Kabul earlier this month, was an arm of Pakistan’s intelligence agency.
Mullen says that this support not only jeapordises the US-Pakistani relationship, but also undermines efforts to achieve a successful outcome in Afghanistan.
He said that his successor in Afghanistan will not only suffer from Pakistan's support for the Haqqani group and other groups affiliated with al Qaeda, but also from corruption within the Afghani government.
Mullen warned that continuing the US troop withdrawal would expand Afghan government corruption, and leave a government that its people distrust. He stressed that at best this would lead to local clashes, but may escalate to a civil war and the collapse of the government.
US Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, supported Mullen’s testimony and criticised the Pakistani government’s support for the Haqqani network.
He pointed out that the US had made it very clear to Pakistan that it will not tolerate attacks across the Afghan border.
It is believed that this message was delivered in a meeting between CIA’s chief, David Petraeus, and his counterpart in the Pakistani Intelligence.
Panetta added that American and Afghan troops have been exploring ways to stop ongoing attacks.
Panetta stressed in his testimony, the first since he was appointed, that the security situation in the Afghan capital is deteriorating.
However, he said that ultimately the US and NATO’s efforts were headed in the right direction.
Panetta said last week that the United States “would do everything” to thwart the Haqqani network’s operations, although he did not provide details of the new strategy.
The United States has already increased its unmanned air attacks on Pakistan's border areas.
Panetta's remarks were interpreted as a threat that the United States may take unilateral measures against the group, prompting the Pakistani Secretary of State, Hanna Rabbani Khar, to respond that such threats will only lead to the failure of joint efforts to combat terrorism.
Relations between Washington and Islamabad deteriorated after the United States unilaterally assassinated the al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden, on Pakistani soil.
In response, Pakistan froze a US program that trained Pakistani troops in counter-terrorism strategies.
U.S. officials revealed on Wednesday that they reached a compromise with Pakistan which allows for 100 to 150 US forces to be stationed in Pakistan.
This is less than half of the current number stationed in Pakistan, and will lead to the reduction in US special operations trainers from 140 to less than 10.
Washington considers links between the Pakistani government and extremist groups such as the Haqqani network and the Taliban, to be the biggest obstacle to the success of the US operation in Afghanistan.
The US currently plans to withdraw all foreign troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.