US says ‘dedicated to enhancing Pakistan’s civilian, military capabilities’ amid terror attacks

The United States condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and said it is ‘‘dedicated to enhancing Pakistan’s civilian and military capabilities to detect and counter these type of threats’’.

In a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said the US was aware of the terrorist attacks in Pakistan, saying “our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of those killed or impacted by recent attacks”.

A day ago, eight soldiers were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while seven policemen were briefly kidnapped in separate attacks.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident in the same province, seven police officers were kidnapped from a checkpoint.

They were released Tuesday, following negotiations between a jirga — or tribal council — and the militants.

“All the kidnapped policemen have been released following successful negotiations led by local elders with militants,” senior police official Muhammad Zia ud-Din told AFP.

The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attacks.

In his press briefing, the US spokesperson said that as the horrific attacks against the Pakistani people continue, “we remain committed to engaging with government leaders and civilian institutions to identify opportunities to build capacity in detecting, preventing, and responding to threats posed by militant terrorist groups”.

While answering a question om terrorist groups using Afghan soil to conduct the attack, the US official said, “So we continue to have an important bilateral counterterrorism partnership with the Government of Pakistan, and it includes regular high-level dialogues and working level consultations dedicated to enhancing both civilian and military capabilities to detect and counter these type of threats.”

While chairing a meeting of the Federal Apex Committee of the National Action Plan on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to crush the terrorist elements for peace and progress of the country.

The meeting was briefed on the evolving security landscape and the measures being taken to counter terrorism and other critical challenges, including general law and order situation.

Addressing the Apex meeting, the PM termed terrorism as the huge challenge for Pakistan.

The committee approved a comprehensive military operation against terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan including the Majeed Brigade, BLA, BLF and BRAS who are targeting innocent civilians and foreign nationals to scuttle Pakistan’s economic progress by creating insecurity at the behest of hostile external powers.