Af-Pak border command centre of Al Qaeda: US lawmaker

'Afghanistan is just not one of two wars. It is central to the global struggle against extremism and intolerance,says John Boehner.

A top Republican Congressional leader said that the Af-Pak border serves as the virtual command and control centre for the al Qaeda leaders.

8220;Afghanistan is just not one of two wars. It is central to the global struggle against extremism and intolerance. The border of Afghanistan that they share with Pakistan is a virtual command-and-control centre where al Qaeda leaders plan and plot their attacks against Americans and our allies,8221; House Minority Leader John Boehner said.

Afghanistan must be resistant to the forces of extremism hell-bent on returning power,and it must be resistant to becoming a potential safe haven for terrorist organisations,he said.

Supporting the counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan,Boehner said but the US President must do more to emphasise his commitment to ensuring its success,rather than focusing on an arbitrary deadline for withdrawal.

8220;He also must also place a greater emphasis on ensuring successful implementation of both the military and civilian components of his strategy,8221; he said.

8220;Using campaign promises as yardsticks to measure success in Iraq and Afghanistan runs the risk of triggering artificial victory laps and premature withdrawal dates unconnected to conditions on the ground,8221; Boehner said.

The Republican leader said there are signs of a return to pre-9/11 mentality in proposals to house terrorists on American soil just to fulfill a campaign promise.

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8220;The American people were told last year that keeping open the Guantanamo Bay prison,which houses the worst of the worst,served as a rallying cry for our enemies. We were told that closing the detention facilities and importing the remaining terrorists into the United States would diminish the threat,8221; he said.

8220;Then,starting with a plot to blow up the Manhattan subway system last September,we witnessed four terrorist incidents on US soil in an eight-month period,including the Fort Hood shooting,the attempted Christmas Day bombing and the failed Times Square bombing,8221; he said.

8220;Each of these attacks represented new strands of terrorism,and each of these terrorists received varying degrees of support,but all had ties to international terrorist organisations and their radical extremist platform,8221; Boehner said.

8220;Now more than ever,the American people deserve every assurance that their government has the right legal authorities and the right mind-set to place future 8211; and to prevent future attacks on American soil,8221; he said.