WASHINGTON: The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing groups like the Pakistani Taliban from using Afghanistan as a base for launching terrorist attacks against neighbouring countries and countering their recruitment efforts.

The statement comes in response to growing concerns over Afghanistan’s deteriorating security situation. A recent UN report revealed that terrorist groups, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are regaining strength and pose a significant threat to regional stability.

During the US State Department’s Thursday briefing, journalists highlighted the UN report, expressing concerns about the growing presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

In response, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel emphasised the US commitment to addressing this threat, stating, “We are cooperating with partners and allies, including in the immediate region; and we’re working vigilantly to prevent the re-emergence of external threats from Afghanistan.”

The UN report also noted that the TTP is working closely with terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, IS-K, and the Afghan Taliban to recruit and train terrorists at its camps in Afghanistan. ISIS-K is a South Asian affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group.

Mr Patel told the briefing that the US is working with partners to “counteract the TTP’s recruitment efforts,” aiming to disrupt their ability to expand their ranks and pose a greater threat to regional stability.

“IS-K is a transnational terrorist network that has the ambition and capacity to launch international terrorist attacks,” he said.

Reiterating the need to ensure that Afghanistan “never serves as a launching pad for terrorist attacks again,” he added: “We are taking a whole-of-government approach to our Afghanistan counterterrorism efforts.”

In New York, Pakistan’s UN Mission stated that it has raised the issue of the TTP threat in the Security Council during briefings on Afghanistan and during private consultations.

“There is a continuous and ongoing process of engagement by countries including Pakistan with UN entities from time to time to highlight our concerns and provide inputs on this issue,” the statement added.

In May this year, the United States and Pakistan agreed to intensify their collaboration in the fight against terrorist organisations like the TTP and IS-K.

In a joint statement, they also acknowledged that “a partnership to counter IS-K, TTP, and other terrorist organisations will advance security in the region and serve as a model of bilateral and regional cooperation to address transnational terrorism threats.”

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2024