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Summary
The US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has confessed that Pakistan and Afghanistan do not trust the USA and believe that it would again leave them alone like before whereas on the other hand the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has admitted that Pakistan has rendered invaluable and greatest number of sacrifices in the war against terrorism. In an interview to a television, Hillary Clinton aid that Pakistan has been using extremists against India and Afghanistan in the past but now its policies are changing. She also confessed that the terrorists, including Al-Qaeda, that are being fought by the USA in Afghanistan are those who were trained and equipped by Washington itself. The USA not only trained and equipped these Mujahideen during the Soviet War from 1979-89 but also left them alone after the war concluded. This step of the USA created serious problems for Afghanistan and Pakistan. On the other hand the US Defense Secretary Robert Gates also agreed with the stance of the US Secretary of State and said that although Pakistan is fighting terrorists and terrorism but both the countries do not trust the USA. Both the countries believe that if the issues in Afghanistan are addressed or if left unaddressed, the USA would again depart the region creating similar problems as were created after the Soviet War. Gates said that Pakistan and Afghanistan should be assured that the USA would stay for long in the region and that the USA should establish long term relations with Pakistan. Responding to a question Robert Gates said that Pak-Afghan border areas are the epicenter of all the terrorist activities being carried out in the world whereas terrorists in Yemen, Somalia, and other countries seek guidance from these extremists and terrorists. He also said that not only Al-Qaeda but also Haqqani Network, Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan and Lashker-e Tayyeba have also formed a terrorist chain in these border areas and success of one group is owned and celebrated by all others.
