Kabul wants world powers to step up pressure on Pakistan: Nikki Haley

UNITED NATIONS (92 News) – The US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has said that the Kabul government wants world powers to step up pressure on Pakistan. Haley joined the 14 other council envoys for talks with top Afghan leaders in Kabul at the weekend as the government considers holding peace talks with the Taliban to end decades of insurgency. Talking to media after returning from a UN Security Council visit to Afghanistan, she said that Afghanistan is getting closer to holding peace talks with the Taliban as a result of a new Afghan strategy put in place by the United States last year. "We are seeing that we're closer to talks with the Taliban and the peace process than we've seen before," Haley said. Haley said Afghan officials told the UN envoys that "they're starting to see the Taliban concede, they are starting to see them move towards coming to the table" as a result of a new strategy the United States put in place last summer that has given the US military a freer hand to work with Afghan forces to defeat the Taliban. Haley said Afghanistan's leaders asked the UN council members to support the peace process and military gains in Afghanistan by putting more pressure on Pakistan to stop providing what they said were sanctuaries for the Afghan Taliban on its territory. Haley did not specify what measures the UN council could take to pressure Pakistan, but it does have the power to impose sanctions. The United States recently froze payments of military aid to Pakistan, citing its alleged failure to act against militants.