US war policies in Afghanistan becoming unpopular

Senior Pakistani journalist on Thursday said that the US policies in Afghanistan are becoming unpopular among their own people and the US military leaders are leveling allegations on Pakistan in sheer frustration. Talking to IRNA Rahimullah Yusufzai said that recent statement of US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta asking Pakistan to take action against the Haqqani network shows the growing trust deficit between the two countries on strategy to fight war against terror. 'What I do know is that, as we have made clear, the Haqqanis have a safe haven in Pakistan, and you can't have a safe haven. These are individuals who cross over into Afghanistan and kill Americans. These are terrorists. And then they return back to Pakistan to that safe haven,' Leon Panetta said. 'We have urged the Pakistanis to take action to make sure that that safe haven does not exist. That's the message we have given to them,' Panetta said. Rahimullah Yusufzai said that in past US leaders have conveyed their views through media but now the American are leveling direct allegations on Pakistan. He said that the issue of Haqqani network is not new, the US has been demanding Pakistan to take action against the network. Rahimullah Yusufzai said that Americans believe that Haqqani network is behind attacks on Americans in Afghanistan, which is based in Pakistan. The analyst said that many terrorist groups including Haqqani network are involved in attacks in Afghanistan but Haqqani network alone cannot carry out such large scale activities. He was of the view that US policies in Afghanistan are becoming unpopular among their own people. “Americans are losing war in Afghanistan and have failed to show any performance to their nation in eliminating the terrorists,” said the journalist. Rahimullah Yusufzai answering to a question said that US could launch a unilateral attack on Pakistani soil if they have any intelligence information. “I have no doubt about that.” Rahimullah Yusufzai is the Resident/Executive Editor of the Jang group's “The NEWS International' at Peshawar Bureau. He is one of the few bona fide experts on Afghanistan, having reported on the country since the 1980s.