Islamabad, Asharq Al-Awsat- Taliban fighters are active on Pakistani soil and action was required to deal with the threat they posed, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said on Tuesday.

In an interview with Asharq al Awsat, Abdullah indicated “the common” enemy should be confronted. He denied accusations that his country was in any way involved in the fighting currently taking place in Waziristan, in Pakistan.

The minister added that his government had provided Islamabad with detailed information about Taliban forces and leaders living in border regions and the two countries had agreed to share intelligence on the location of al Qaeda militants and Taliban fighters.

Al Qaeda no longer had any bases in Afghanistan but that there were a few groups related to it that continued to carry out suicide bombings inside Afghanistan, Abdullah said.

About the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, the foreign minister said it was important not to speculate about his location but expressed his confidence “we will capture him one day.”

He added that the Hamid Karzai government was working to develop its relations with all countries in the region, including India and Pakistan. “Our relationship with India is very important. Increase the scope of our relations with Pakistan, India and Iran and other regional countries is a priority.”

He refused to compare between the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, as it was wrong to describe the presence of foreign troops on Afghan soil as occupation. “The presence of international forces in Afghanistan helped my people to re-build the country.”