Karzai issues warning to Pakistan


President Hamid Karzai says Afghanistan has a right to self-defence


Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned that he is ready to send troops over the border into Pakistan to confront militants based there.
He said that when militants crossed over from Pakistan to kill Afghans and coalition troops his nation had the right to retaliate in "self-defence".
Mr Karzai's remarks came two days after Taleban fighters attacked an Afghan jail freeing hundreds of prisoners.
Pakistan denies providing a safe haven for the Taleban or other militants.
Mr Karzai has long pleaded for Pakistan and international forces to confront militants in Pakistan but has not before threatened to send troops over the border.
The BBC's Quil Lawrence in Kabul says it is the strongest language yet from Mr Karzai on his neighbour.
But while the Afghan president is using more provocative language than before it remains to be seen whether this leads to more robust action our correspondent says.
'Two-way road'
Mr Karzai's news conference had been intended to focus on this week's Afghan donors' conference in Paris at which world powers pledged about $20bn (£10bn) to help re-build his country.
Baitullah Mehsud (left) is one of Pakistan's most feared militants


But instead it was dominated by the prison break-out that led to the escape of some 350 Taleban members among other detainees and Afghanistan's response to militant attacks.
Mr Karzai said: "Afghanistan has the right of self-defence. When they cross the territory from Pakistan to come and kill Afghans and to kill coalition troops it exactly gives us the right to go back and do the same."
Mr Karzai warned that he was prepared to seek out Taleban leaders wherever they were specifically naming Baitullah Mehsud who is based in South Waziristan Pakistan.
"Baitullah Mehsud should know that we will go after him now and hit him in his house" Mr Karzai said adding that Taleban leader Mullah Omar could expect the same.
He went on: "This is a two-way road in this case and Afghans are good in the two-way road journey."
Air strikes
At least 15 insurgents have been killed in southern Afghanistan during a search for the hundreds of prisoners who escaped Kandahar's prison the US military said on Sunday.
It said it had not confirmed that any of the dead were part of the group of inmates who escaped the jail.
Afghan security forces have been searching for the escaped prisoners


A further five suspected militants were captured the military statement said.
Afghan officials say about 900 inmates escaped after the prison was attacked by Taleban militants on Friday. Among them were some 350 Taleban members.
International and Afghan security forces have been hunting for the detainees since the break-out.
Afghan officials said about 20 had been recaptured on Saturday and Sunday.
The US military said the insurgents killed had been found at a farm compound in Kandahar province where a cache of weapons was also discovered. "The combined forces used precision air strikes to destroy the compound after insurgents attacked with small arms fire" the statement said. Kandahar is one of the aaa battlegrounds in the Taleban's insurgency against President Hamid Karzai and troops from Nato and a US-led coalition.