Washington, Dec. 10 (ANI): While acknowledging that the Pakistan Army’s operation has “significantly degraded” the Taliban, US Central Command Chief General David Petraeus has said that the Pakistani troops have, however, failed to take stern action against the terror sanctuaries of the Afghan Taliban leadership.

Addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Petraeus said Islamabad seems determined to take on the extremists, who pose an ‘existential’ threat to the country, but there more action is needed to root out militancy from the region.

“Pakistani operations in Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Swat, Buner, Lower Dir, and now South Waziristan have significantly degraded Pakistani Taliban groups.The campaign, however, has not directly engaged the sanctuaries of the Afghan Taliban groups in Pakistan,” Petraeus said.

Commenting on the Afghan issue, he warned of a more intense battle during the coming spring and the summer.

Petraeus also said that the Afghan government’s expected moves to combat corruption would likely result in ‘greater turmoil within the government as malign actors are identified and replaced.’

“It will be important, therefore, to withhold judgment on the success or failure of the strategy in Afghanistan until next December, as the President has counselled,” The Daily Times quoted Petraeus, as saying.(ANI)