Afghan president calls on Pakistan to battle Taliban

Afghanistan’s president has called on Pakistan to battle the Taliban rather than try to bring them into peace talks. Ashraf Ghani made the remarks during an address to parliament today, a week after a Taliban assault on the Afghan capital, Kabul, killed 64 people and wounded another 340.

Afghan officials have long accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to the Taliban. The Taliban leadership is widely believed to be based in Pakistani tribal regions along the border.

Ghani said there are “no good or bad terrorists, they are just terrorists,” and that “Pakistan must understand that and act against them.”

Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States have been trying to revive peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban in recent months, but have made little progress.