World Bulletin / News Desk

Afghanistan assured neighboring Pakistan on Thursday that it will not entertain the fleeing of Pakistani Taliban in the wake of an ongoing military onslaught in North Waziristan near its northeastern Khost province, officials said.

The assurance was given at a meeting between Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser, Dr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta, and his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad where matters of national security in the North Waziristan operation dominated the meeting.

The Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army’s representative confirmed that the Afghan national security adviser assured his Pakistani counterpart that his country will not allow the fleeing of TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) rebels in the Khost province or elsewhere in Afghanistan,” a senior Pakistani foreign office official, wishing not to be named, told the Anadolu Agency.

“The two countries have also agreed that they will not allow militants to use their soil against each other apart from the North Waziristan operation,” the official said and added that the discussions focused on ensuring deeper bilateral security cooperation, and developing efforts of strengthening regular contact between the security authorities of the two countries,” he added.

The two neighboring countries have been at loggerheads since the beginning of the U.S.-led 'war against terror' and have blamed each other for allowing the Taliban to use their respective soils against each other. Afghanistan blames Pakistan for harboring senior Taliban leaders, including their Supreme Leader Mullah Omer, while Pakistan heaps the blame on the war-stricken neighbor for providing bases to the TTP rebels to wage a war against its security forces.

The two countries have agreed to cooperate with each other on national security at a time when the U.S. is all set to reduce its forces by 10,000 by the end of 2014, and fully withdraw its troops by 2016.

Security experts cast doubts on the capability of the Afghan national army to contain the Taliban in the absence of foreign forces in the country. They deem the positive role of Pakistan crucial for a stable Afghanistan after the U.S. pullout.