Context
US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said on Sunday that he has had discussions with Pakistani military officials to tighten grip around the Haqqani network. On a surprise trip to Kabul, Mullen said the Haqqani network, based in the lawless Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan close to the Afghan border, was the major source of insecurity in Afghanistan. However, he said Islamabad had increased pressure on the network. Mullen described Pakistan as the home of Al-Qaeda.
