Pakistan faulted for cross-border attacks

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 30 (UPI) -- The departing U.S. commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan has faulted Pakistan for not backing up promises to tackle militants on its side of the border.

Gen. Dan McNeill told the New York Times in Kabul that an increase in attacks against U.S. and NATO forces in eastern Afghanistan is a result of Pakistan's failure to act against militants in its tribal areas and its decision to hold talks with militants without pressuring them.

McNeill said that Pakistan had stopped high-level meetings among Pakistani, Afghan and NATO counterparts, the principals in efforts to resolve border issues and combat cross-border infiltration.

Officials indicated that tougher measures were planned against the insurgents as militancy rose last year in Pakistan, the report said. Instead, the Times said the government sued for peace, a policy in 2005 and 2006 that led directly to increased attacks across the border.