Recently, the US and Pakistan have concluded their latest round of counterterrorism discussions, agreeing to intensify their cooperation in the fight against terrorist organizations like the Pakistani Taliban and a provincial Islamic State affiliate. Washington and Islamabad administered a joint statement simultaneously displaying that the May 2024 bilateral dialogue hosted by the U.S. was focused on tackling “the most critical challenges to regional and global security.”
The discussion came amid a recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of people, including security forces. The violence is mostly asserted by Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, who are supposed to operate from sanctuaries in neighbouring Afghanistan.
The United States and Pakistan acknowledge that a partnership to counter ISIS-Khorasan, TTP, and other terrorist associations will advance security in the region and function as a model of bilateral and regional cooperation to handle transnational terrorism threats. Both governments decided to increase communication on these topics and continue cooperation to detect and deter violent extremism through whole-of-government approaches. The Counterterrorism Dialogue restates the United States and Pakistan’s shared decision to contribute to both regional and global security and stability.
“Pakistan and the United States recognize that a partnership to counter ISIS-Khorasan, TTP, and other terrorist organizations will advance security in the region and serve as a model of bilateral and regional cooperation to address transnational terrorism threats,” the statement read.
The statement employed an acronym for an Afghanistan-based Islamic State affiliate understood as IS-Khorasan, which routinely brings out terrorist attacks in the country and beyond its barriers. Pakistani and U.S. officials at talks in Washington determined to step up communication and continue cooperation “to detect and deter violent extremism through whole-of-government approaches.”
According to the statement, the two sides emphasised the importance of capacity building, including sharing technological expertise and best practices, providing investigative and prosecutorial contribution and enhancing border security infrastructure and training. Islamabad claims that TTP-led terrorist attacks on Pakistani soil have strengthened since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the departure of U.S.-led NATO forces after a 20-year counterterrorism mission.
Moreover, discussions centred on the counterterrorism landscape in the territory, with a focus on dimensions of mutual interest. U.S. and Pakistani senior officials stressed the importance of expanded counterterrorism cooperation and capacity building, including exchanges of technical expertise and best techniques, investigative and prosecutorial assistance, condition of border security infrastructure and training, including the United States training of more than 300 police and frontline responders since the last U.S.-Pakistan Counterterrorism meeting in March 2023, and supporting multilateral engagement such as in the UN and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
