ISLAMABAD: The United States said on Thursday it was working to prevent Afghanistan from turning into a hub of militant violence targeting its interests or posing a threat to other states like Pakistan, following a recent United Nations report expressing concerns over the rise of armed groups under the Taliban administration in Kabul.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November 2022, when a fragile truce between its government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down. Pakistani officials blamed the interim Afghan Taliban government for facilitating the group and urged it to take action against the armed militants, though Kabul rejected Islamabad’s claims.
The UN report, released this week, raised similar concerns about groups like TTP and Daesh, noting that they were launching cross-border attacks, particularly in Pakistan.
Asked about its findings and the claim that these groups had over 6,000 fighters attacking Pakistani soldiers and undermining regional peace, US State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel highlighted his country’s counterterrorism efforts.
“We’re working to ensure that Afghanistan never serves as a launching pad for terrorist attacks against the United States or our allies,” he said during a media briefing. “We are taking a whole-of-government approach to our Afghanistan counterterrorism efforts.”
“We are cooperating with partners and allies, including in the immediate region,” he continued. “And we’re working vigilantly to prevent the re-emergence of external threats from Afghanistan, including by working with partners to counteract terrorist recruitment efforts as well.”
Patel agreed with the findings of the UN report, saying that Daesh had the “ambition and capacity to launch international terrorist attacks.”
Afghanistan was widely viewed as a hub of transnational militant groups, particularly during the years leading up to the US invasion in 2001 and throughout the subsequent two decades.
US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 after securing an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020, which stipulated that the war-torn country would no longer be used as a militant basecamp.
In recent months, Washington has raised concerns about militant presence in Afghanistan, expressing its willingness to assist Pakistan with counterterrorism efforts.
US says working to prevent Afghanistan from becoming militant threat for countries like Pakistan
https://arab.news/gqgfz
US says working to prevent Afghanistan from becoming militant threat for countries like Pakistan
- US official says Washington is cooperating with partners, including those in the region, to deal with the issue
- The UN brought out a report this week, saying TTP and Daesh were launching cross-border attacks in Pakistan
Pakistan reviews austerity measures amid Middle East crisis, urges strict nationwide implementation
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar chairs review meeting of austerity steps
- Officials briefed on salary cuts, school closures, four‑day week, petrol conservation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government on Wednesday assessed progress on a sweeping set of austerity measures introduced to mitigate the country’s economic strain from sharply rising global oil prices and supply disruptions linked to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week announced a series of austerity steps, including a four‑day work week for government offices, requiring 50 percent of staff to work from home, cutting fuel allowances for official vehicles by half, grounding up to 60 percent of the government fleet and closing all schools for two weeks to conserve fuel amid the global oil crisis.
The measures were unveiled in response to global oil market volatility triggered by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, which has disrupted supply routes such as the Strait of Hormuz and pushed crude prices sharply higher, straining Pakistan’s heavily import‑dependent energy sector.
“The meeting stressed the importance of strict and transparent adherence to the austerity measures, promoting fiscal responsibility and prudent use of public resources,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said in a statement.
He was chairing a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, constituted under the directions of the PM, bringing together federal and provincial officials to review execution of the broad cost‑cutting plan.
Dar emphasized the government’s commitment to enforcing the PM’s austerity steps nationwide. The committee’s review also covered reductions in departmental expenditure, deductions from salaries of senior officials earning over Rs. 300,000 ($1,120), and coordination with provincial administrations to ensure uniform implementation of the plan.
Participants at the meeting reiterated that all ministries and divisions must continue strict monitoring and reporting, with transparent oversight mechanisms, as Pakistan navigates the economic pressures from the prolonged Middle East crisis and its fallout on global energy and trade markets.
