Pakistan claims blow against Quetta Shura

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Afghan Taliban was damaged in Pakistan by national forces to the extent that the group no longer poses a threat, the Pakistani defense minister said.

The Pakistani military in October launched a campaign to take on Taliban militants holed up in the volatile tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmad Mukhtar said his security forces struck a major blow to the so-called Quetta Shura of the Afghan Taliban allegedly in Pakistani territory, The Dawn newspaper of Pakistan reports.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, and his strategists believe the Quetta Shura has strong ties to Osama bin Laden and his top al-Qaida commanders.

McChrystal and Karl Eikenberry, the U.S ambassador to Afghanistan, testified before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee this week on the links between the Afghan war effort and stability in Pakistan.

"I think Afghanistan is critical to stability and the future of security of Pakistan, and I think the government of Pakistan understands that as well," said McChrystal.

Washington has stressed the broader fight against extremists is not restricted to Afghanistan. Top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and James Jones, the national security adviser, visited Islamabad in recent weeks with pledges of financial and political support for the war effort.