KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Stopping attacks on U.S. troops by those coming from safe havens in Pakistan is his biggest challenge, the top commander of the forces in Afghanistan said.
Gen. John Allen, who recently took over from Gen. David Petraeus, comes to his new job as the Afghan war has lasted 10 years, claiming the lives of 1,777 U.S. service members and costing more than $557 billion, ABC News said in a special report on the occasion.
The report said Allen has the responsibility of both fighting the war and ending it by 2014 when U.S. and NATO forces would have completed their troop withdrawal and handed over the responsibility of Afghanistan's security to its own security forces.
The general told ABC News the cross-border attacks from safe havens in Pakistan, a recipient of American help running into billions of dollars a year. The report, citing military figures, said such attacks jumped to about 300 in the past year from about 60.
Allen said the problem with safe havens has gotten worse in the past decade: "That's a question we have to ask the Pakistanis, in the end. My mandate ends at the border and I'll deal with the Taliban and the Haqqanis as they come across."
The Haqqani Network -- which U.S. officials say enjoys safe havens in Pakistan and is supported by the Pakistani spy agency -- is the most violent Taliban-linked group. Pakistan has denied the charges.
"Those are the ones we are going to try to prevent from coming across over the border from the safe havens and when they do, we'll seek to deal with them," Allen said.
The general said many of the improvised explosive devices that have caused the most damage to coalition forces, were "probably" coming from Pakistan.
He said the United States wants a "constructive relationship" with Pakistan.
"There's much worse than a bad relationship with Pakistan, which is no relationship with Pakistan," he said.
