Stability in Pak important for peace in Afghanistan: US

Washington: As the US prepares to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by 2014, the Obama Administration has said that Pakistan’s own security and stability is tied to  a successful outcome in its war-torn neighbour. “Pakistan’s own security and stability is tied to a successful outcome in Afghanistan,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said. [caption id=“attachment_979305” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  An Afghan Army personnel in Afghanistan. Agencies.[/caption] She said any steps that continue to build the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan “are very important.". “Pakistan is an important partner in supporting a secure and stable Afghanistan, which is vital to the security of the region,” Psaki said yesterday. The United States is continuing Informal discussions with the Afghans on a bilateral security agreement (BSA) though formal negotiations have been suspended, she said. “The BSA will be focused on the nature and scope of the future presence, but not numbers and how US forces would operate in Afghanistan,” she added. Psaki said that the decision on what presence the US will have in Afghanistan after it withdraws its combat troops by the end of 2014 is up to President Barack Obama. “And we have been clear that our presence will have two goals: Number one, to train, assist, and advise Afghan forces so they can maintain their own security; and number two, making sure that we can continue to go after the remnants of al-Qaeda or other affiliates that might threaten our homeland. That’s a very limited mission,” she said. PTI