Washington, April 30 (IANS) Even as it reported "tangible progress" in the Afghanistan war, Pentagon has warned that the insurgents still enjoyed a crucial lifeline through safe havens in neighbouring Pakistan.

While painting a generally rosy picture of the nine-year-old war ahead of a planned US drawdown in July of its 100,000-strong force, the six monthly Pentagon report to Congress Friday acknowledged battlefield gains over the past six months were tentative and "fragile."

Repeating US concerns over insurgent havens over the border in Pakistan, the report said: "Insurgent capacity continues to be supported by sanctuaries and logistical support originating in Pakistan, and insurgents will likely retain operational momentum in areas where these support structures exist."

The progress made in the US-Pakistan relationship in the past few years to deny 'safe haven' to extremists elements could also suffer a setback due to "heightened sensitivities" regarding Pakistani sovereignty, the report warned.
Acknowledging difficulties in improving US relationship with Islamabad, the Pentagon said: "It will take a long-term commitment to overcome years of mistrust."

The report said there are significant hurdles to reaching the vision of pursuing a long-term US-Pakistani strategic partnership based on a foundation of mutual interest, mutual respect, and mutual trust guiding a whole-of-government, civilian-military effort.

"The history of US-Pakistani relations is fraught with negative perceptions on both sides, leading many in both countries to see the others' pursuit of strategic objectives as being driven by transitory national security interests," the report said.

"To date, efforts on both sides have yielded some progress in improving this relationship. However, it will take a long-term relationship to overcome years of mistrust in order to achieve a long-term strategic partnership based on mutual interests," the Pentagon said.

The US approach with Pakistan is to build an effective partnership that advances interests of both countries, while also demonstrating to Pakistan that the US will remain a strong and long-term supporter of its security and prosperity, it said.

"Central to this effort is aligning both US and Pakistani interests in the near-term with respect to denying safe haven to all violent extremist organizations," the report said.