Pakistan continues to support Taliban: Pentagon report

In the first report since the February 29 agreement, the United States Department of Defense issued its quarterly report to the US Congress.

In this report, the Pentagon reported that Pakistan continues to harbor the Taliban and associated militant groups in Pakistan, such as the Haqqani Network, which maintains the ability to conduct attacks against Afghan interests.

The report is valuable as it covers the first month after the US signed a peace agreement with the Taliban.

The report, covering the period from January to March of Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, has significant inputs, as the US signed a deal on February 29 to facilitate the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

The report, which was issued on May 19, comes at a time when the US special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has called on India to hold direct talks with the Taliban.

(With inputs from agencies)