WASHINGTON: The US Central Command has termed Pakistan a “critical counter-terrorism par­tner” that is “central” to the fight against the militant Islamic State-Khor­asan (IS-K) in South Asia.

The remarks were made by Centcom Commander Navy Admiral Bradford Cooper, who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week on the progress of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ — Washington’s campaign against Iran that began on February 28 and is paused for now.

A statement issued after the briefing on May 14 also had remarks from Cooper on the US engagement in South and Central Asia.

He told the committee that the “shared” threat of external operations emanating from Afghanistan continued to be “an animating force among our partners”.

Admiral Cooper terms country ‘central’ to fight against IS-K in the region

“Pakistan, especially, is a critical CT partner that is central to the fight against IS-K in the region,” Admiral Cooper said, adding that Washington and Islamabad’s “strong military-to-military partnership has produced tangible results against high-value individuals with American blood on their hands”.

Admiral Cooper further told the committee that the “military-to-military partnership” was also “key” to Centcom’s support to Pakistan after the September 2025 floods.

He maintained that “these tangible, mutual wins are direct reflections of our enduring friendship and shared resolve”.

“Our Central Asian par­tners, likewise, are keeping a wary eye towards Afghanistan-based terrorist threats,” he added.

The development refle­cts the continuing partnership on counter-terrorism between the two countries.

In March 2025, shortly after becoming the US president for a second time, Donald Trump announced that the person responsible for killing 13 US service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 had been arrested with the help of Pakistan and was now on his way to the US to face justice.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2026