Pakistan denies border charges

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6359991.stm

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Pakistan's foreign minister has denied accusations Islamabad is not doing enough to stop militants crossing over the border into Afghanistan.

Khurshid Kasuri said Pakistan had more than 80,000 soldiers along the border and suffered more casualties than international forces there.

Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 1,400 mile (2,250km) border.

Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters are thought to be operating on both sides of the mountainous border.

On Monday, the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said during a visit to Pakistan that he had talked to President Pervez Musharraf about ways in which Pakistan could put pressure on the Taleban on both sides of the border.

'Weak points'

Mr Kasuri told the BBC that Pakistan would try to do more, but he was sure that Afghanistan, the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf), the US and the European Union could also make more effort to stop militants crossing the border.

He said Pakistani soldiers along the border had suffered significantly more casualties than Isaf, Nato and the Americans combined.

President Musharraf has admitted there are weak points in policing the border and that the Taleban do get support from within Pakistan.

Militants say they can move around the border area with impunityBut he has strongly denied any official backing for the Taleban.

He has also refused to take sole responsibility for the border, saying that border security must be a joint effort with forces on the Afghan side.

Our correspondent says that Western officials acknowledge President Musharraf's difficulties, but they are afraid that the Taleban are using Pakistan to prepare for a spring offensive.

President Musharraf's government has also come under fire for pacts with tribal militants in the North and South Waziristan areas. Critics say the deals give Taleban fighters based there freedom to go where they please.

The new Nato commander in Afghanistan, Gen Dan McNeill, says that 2,000 extra troops are needed to patrol the border with Pakistan. There are currently around 33,000 troops from 37 nations in Afghanistan.