Mullen accuses ISI of using Haqqani Network to wage proxy war

The United States has accused Pakistans intelligence agency of using the Haqqani Network to wage a proxy war, hardening its criticism of Islamabads ties with Taliban-allied factions fighting NATO and Afghan troops in Afghanistan.Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that in a discussion with Pakistans army chief that lasted about four hours, he had pressed Pakistan to break its links with the militant group.We covered ... the need for the Haqqani Network to disengage, specifically the need for the ISI to disconnect from Haqqani and from this proxy war that theyre fighting, he said.The ISI has been doing this -- working for -- supporting proxies for an extended period of time. It is a strategy in the country and I think that strategic approach has to shift in the future.Washington blames the Haqqani Network, one of the most feared Taliban-linked groups fighting in Afghanistan, for last weeks attack on the US embassy and other targets in Kabul.It has in the past suggested that Pakistans powerful Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) maintains ties to the network to guarantee itself a stake in any political settlement in Afghanistan when American troops withdraw.Accusing the ISI of using the Haqqanis to wage a proxy war goes further, and risks fuelling tension between Islamabad and Washington, which have been running high since al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a surprise US Navy SEALs raid in Pakistan in May.The Haqqani network is perhaps the most divisive issue between Pakistan and the United States. Washington has repeatedly pressed Pakistan to go after the network, which it believes enjoys sanctuaries in Pakistans unruly ethnic Pashtun tribal region of North Waziristan on the Afghan border.Pakistan denies accusations it has ties to the Haqqanis.The Washington Post reported that US officials had delivered an ultimatum to Islamabad in recent days, warning that if it did not cut ties with the Haqqani Network and help eliminate its leaders then the United States will act unilaterally.He said the United States could step up drone attacks from Afghanistan in North Waziristan or launch long-range attacks on Haqqani hideouts as they did in their helicopter raid on bin Laden in a town just two hours up the road from Islamabad.Launching a larger military operation would be extremely difficult in the mountainous terrain of North Waziristan and would risk hardening anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.There has been no public statement suggesting that the United States might itself mount a full-scale offensive against the Haqqanis in North Waziristan, and the official line in background briefings is only that all options are on the table.