Pakistan, US discuss jointly countering Daesh, Pakistani Taliban to advance regional security
Pakistan and the United States (US) have discussed jointly countering Daesh, Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups to advance regional security and address transnational threats, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Monday.
The consensus was reached during a recently held Pakistan-US Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington DC, which was co-chaired by Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary Syed Haider Shah and US State Department coordinator for counterterrorism, Elizabeth Richard.
The dialogue underscored the cooperation between Pakistan and the US in addressing challenges to regional and global security, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh-Khorasan, with discussions centered on the counterterrorism landscape in the region.
“Pakistan and the United States recognize that a partnership to counter Daesh-Khorasan (Daesh-Khorasan), TTP and other terrorist organizations will advance security in the region and serve as a model of bilateral and regional cooperation to address transnational terrorism threats,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Both governments resolved to increase communication on these topics and continue collaboration to detect and deter violent extremism through whole-of-government approaches.”
The development came amid a renewed wave of violence in Pakistan’s western regions that border Afghanistan, where the TTP and Daesh are said to have their sanctuaries.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of not doing enough to tackle militant groups targeting Pakistan from across the border. Last week, a Pakistani military spokesman said a suicide bomb attack that killed five Chinese engineers in March was planned in neighboring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was also an Afghan national.
Kabul has denied allowing the use of its territory against any country and says rising violence in Pakistan is a domestic issue of Islamabad.
During the dialogue, Pakistani and US officials emphasized the importance of expanded counterterrorism collaboration and capacity-building, including exchanges of technical expertise and best practices, investigative and prosecutorial assistance, provision of border security infrastructure and training, and strengthening multilateral engagement such as in the United Nations and the Global Counterterrorism Forum, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.
“The Counterterrorism Dialogue reaffirms Pakistan’s and the United States’ shared determination to contribute to both regional and global security and stability,” it added.
Source » arabnews.pk
