WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with leaders of a Pakistani terrorist group, State Department officials told CNN.
Clinton met with members of the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani movement during a visit to Islamabad over the summer at the request of the Pakistani government, unidentified sources told the broadcaster.
At a news conference earlier this week, Clinton acknowledged the meeting, reportedly requested by Pakistan's intelligence agency to combat terrorist activity in neighboring Afghanistan.
"We have reached out to the Taliban, we have reached out to the Haqqani network," she said.
State Department sources said the meeting was a test of reliability and honesty, which Clinton suggested didn't pass muster.
"In order to get to the talking, you have to keep fighting," she said of the talks. "We believe that there is now an opportunity for us to begin talking, but there is no guarantee that the talking will move us toward anything that will result in a peaceful resolution."
