US calls for concrete action against Haqqanis

The United States State Department has publicly acknowledged that it asked Pakistan to take concrete action against the Haqqani network after last week's massive car bombing in Kabul.

Pakistan had condemned the attack hours after it took place, reports Dawn.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack outside a building of the National Directorate for Security in Kabul on Tuesday that killed 64 people and injured more than 300 others.

Commenting on the Afghan Government's claim that Pakistan supported the group which carried out the attack, State Department's Press Office director Elizabeth Trudeau suggested on Friday evening that Islamabad continued to allow the terrorists to use its soil.

Elizabeth said that the Pakistan Government should not discriminate between terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation by undertaking concrete action against the Haqqanis.

Trudeau said that Pakistan had reiterated that it would not discriminate between terrorist groups "and we continue to call on them to live up to that commitment".

Within hours of the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani vowed "vengeance for each drop of blood spilled", while his Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah cancelled a May 2 visit to Pakistan, citing the findings of a preliminary investigation.