Cant keep snakes in backyard,US to Pak

US asked Pakistan to act against the Haqqani network within days and weeks

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In a blunt message to Pakistan,the US on Friday asked it to act against the Haqqani network within days and weeks and squeeze out the dreaded terror group responsible for attacks in Afghanistan,saying Islamabad could not keep snakes in its backyard to strike its neighbours.

Its like that old story you cant keep snakes in your backyard and expect them only to bite your neighbours. Eventually those snakes are going to turn on whoever has them in the backyard, visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a joint news meet with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

Clinton,who arrived here on Thursday with a high-level delegation that included CIA director David Petraeus and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen Martin Dempsey,had earlier said the US intended to push the Pakistanis very hard to remove militant safe havens and tackle groups like the Haqqani network that are responsible for cross-border strikes.

As part of discussions on pressing issues like the Afghan peace process and reconciliation with the Afghan-Taliban,Pakistan and the US will have to work jointly on efforts to squeeze the Haqqani network,she said. Clinton said her discussions in this regard included specifics. For her part,Khar repeated Pakistani denials of any government connection to the Haqqanis.