Will take action if terrorists regroup in Afghanistan: US State Department
- Spokesperson says determined to work with Pakistan to 'do what we can to take on the threat of terrorism in the region'
The US has said that it will take action if it sees international terrorists regrouping in Afghanistan, adding that Washington is determined to work with Pakistan to "do what we can to take on the threat of terrorism in the region".
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said this while answering a question on the rise of violence in Afghanistan and the Taliban’s failure to not be a safe haven for terrorist groups including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
"Taliban are either unable or unwilling to live up to the commitments that they’ve made in a number of areas," Price said.
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"One of those areas is the commitment they have made to counterterrorism, to seeing to it that Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for international terrorists, a launch pad for attacks against countries well beyond its borders. That is an interest of ours," Price added.
The spokesperson said Pakistan is an important partner in a number of respects.
"We welcome opportunities to expand cooperation in areas that are of mutual interest to us and to Pakistan. That, of course, does include when it comes to counterterrorism," he said.
He recalled the grant assistance given to Pakistan through the International Military Education and Training program, which provides professional military education.
The spokesperson's statement comes after Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul came under attack last week with Chargé d’Affaires to Afghanistan Ubaidur Rehman Nizamani targeted.
Price was also asked to comment on the appointment of the former envoy to the US, Asad Majeed, as Pakistan's new foreign secretary. Majeed is allegedly the person who wrote a letter to former prime minister Imran Khan, stating that the US is trying for regime change in Pakistan.
"We have consistently refuted these false and scurrilous rumors. Our only interest is in the interest of the Pakistani people and Pakistan’s constitutional system.
"We don’t favour any one candidate or any one personality over another. What we favour is Pakistan’s constitutional system," the US department official said.
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