ISLAMABAD: A senior American official acknowledged on Tuesday Pakistan was facing militant threat from armed groups in Afghanistan following attacks on security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province earlier this month, though he denied US forces had left behind any weapons in the war-torn state before withdrawing in 2021.
US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communication John Kirby issued the statement in response to a question about the recent spike in militant violence in Pakistan, with specific focus on one of the deadliest attacks against the army in which 23 soldiers were killed in Dera Ismail Khan on Dec. 12.
According to media reports, the militants who targeted the military post were armed with advanced American weapons, including assault rifles and night vision devices.
“Pakistan remains a key partner in the region,” Kirby said during a news conference in Washington. “They continue to face a viable terrorism threat across that border.”
“But let me remind you,” he continued. “We didn’t just leave a bunch of weapons in Afghanistan. This is a fallacy. This is a farce.”
He reiterated that US forces trained and equipped Afghan National Security Forces during 20 years of American presence in Afghanistan with congressional approval and consultations.
Kirby noted that when the Taliban made advances, Afghan soldiers decided not to fight but simply to lay down their arms.
“The arms that you’re talking about … belong to the Afghan National Security Forces,” he added.
Earlier this year in September, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also blamed the US for leaving military equipment behind in Afghanistan, saying this had created a new security challenge for Islamabad since it now had to deal with militants with sophisticated weapons.
Pakistan also summoned the top Afghan diplomat to the foreign office to lodge protest against the attack in Dera Ismail Khan.
US says groups in Afghanistan posing militant threat to Pakistan after spike in violent attacks
https://arab.news/m2ng5
US says groups in Afghanistan posing militant threat to Pakistan after spike in violent attacks
- A top American official, John Kirby, describes Pakistan as Washington’s ‘key partner’ in the region
- He says weapons used by militants targeting Pakistani security forces belonged to Afghan army
Two Pakistani men indicted in $10 million Medicare fraud scheme in Chicago
- Prosecutors say defendants billed Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent services
- Authorities say millions of dollars in proceeds were laundered and transferred to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted in Chicago for allegedly participating in a $10 million health care fraud scheme that targeted Medicare and private insurers, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
A federal grand jury charged Burhan Mirza, 31, who resided in Pakistan, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, who lived in Texas, with submitting fraudulent claims for medical services and equipment that were never provided, according to an indictment filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Medicare is the US federal health insurance program primarily serving Americans aged 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” he added. “We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
Prosecutors said that in 2023 and 2024, the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to bill Medicare and private health benefit programs for nonexistent services.
According to the indictment, Mirza obtained identifying information of individuals, providers and insurers without their knowledge and used it to support fraudulent claims submitted on behalf of shell companies. Iqbal was allegedly linked to several durable medical equipment providers that filed false claims and is accused of laundering proceeds and coordinating transfers of funds to Pakistan.
Mirza faces 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.
Three additional defendants, including an Indian, previously charged in the investigation, have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing.
An indictment contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
