Pakistan Reader# 455, 8 December 2022
Abigail Miriam Fernandez
On 8 December, a US State Department spokesperson while speaking to Dawn promised to come down hard on militant groups such as the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The spokespersons said, “We remain committed to further degrading Al Qaeda, IS-K, TTP, and other terrorist groups that pose a threat to the US and our partners and allies.”
Meanwhile, the US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price on the attack on Pakistan Embassy in Kabul said, “We also have capabilities when it comes to counterterrorism in the region that does not leave us entirely beholden to the Taliban. We demonstrated those capabilities in recent months with the killing of the now-deceased al-Qaida emir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, making good on the pledge that you have consistently heard from President Biden since the withdrawal of military forces from Afghanistan last year, that we will take action if we see international terrorists regrouping in Afghanistan. We will take action in a way that protects our interests.” On the threat posed by the TTP he said, “We are determined to work with our partners in the region, including Pakistan, to do what we can to take on the threat of terrorism in the region, and certainly the threat of terrorism that extends well beyond the region.”
Shuja Nawaz suggests Islamabad and Kabul to jointly monitor and act against militant groups
Shuja Nawaz while speaking to Dawn suggested that it was in the interest of Pakistan and the US to continue collaborating in monitoring and eliminating TTP and IS-K operations in Afghanistan. He said, “Pakistan needs to take a firm position on the use of Afghan soil as sanctuary by the militants. Hold Afghanistan responsible for any attack originating from its territory and retaliate swiftly and firmly.”
Similarly, a US State Department official stated that the militants operating in Afghanistan were a common enemy for both the US and Pakistan claiming that they “have a shared interest” in combating them. (Anwar Iqbal, “US to tighten noose around TTP, IS-K: State Dept,” Dawn, 8 December 2022; Wajid Ali Syed, “'US to make sure terrorists don't use Afghanistan to attack Pakistan',” The News International, 8 December 2022)
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