US: No Way to Seal Afghan-Pakistan Border

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military commander says there's no practical way to seal Afghanistan's vast border with Pakistan and stop all Taliban fighters from slipping through, so troops are focusing on defending vulnerable towns and fighting insurgents on Afghan soil.

Army Col. Viet Luong said that "to secure the border in the traditional sense" would "take an inordinate amount of resources." He said it also would require far more cooperation from the tribes inside Pakistan who often provide Taliban fighters safe passage.

Other senior U.S. military officials have said they hope the Pakistan military does more to shut down Taliban hideouts. But the U.S. denied reports that American forces are pushing to expand special operations raids inside Pakistan's tribal areas to target militants. Luong oversees troops in a part of eastern Afghanistan.