No safe heaven for terrorists in Afghanistan, US warns Taliban

WASHINGTON: The United States (US) warned the Taliban to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists and to ensure that terrorist attacks are not orchestrated from Afghan soil.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a safe haven for terrorists who wish to harm the United States or our partners and allies,” State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told a press briefing.

While condoling the loss of lives of Pakistani soldiers in terrorist attacks and the reported loss of civilians on the other side of the border, Patel urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to address their differences.

“We have seen reports that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on Saturday at a military post. We deeply regret the loss of life and the injustices sustained during the attack in Pakistan and the loss of civilian lives during the strike in Afghanistan. We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil, and we urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counterterrorism efforts. We urge both sides to address any differences.”

When asked if the United States is helping Pakistan in counterterrorism operations or intelligence sharing, Patel remarked that the US is in regular communication with Pakistani leaders to discuss Afghanistan in detail, including through our counterterrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations.

Read more: Terrorists inside Afghanistan pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s security: FO

Commenting on the meetings of US Ambassador in Pakistan Donald Blome with Pakistani leadership, the Deputy Spokesperson stated that Ambassador Blome met with Prime Minister Sharif on March 15 to discuss a broad range of bilateral issues, including partnering with the Government of Pakistan on regional security.

The United States (US) supports continued economic reforms with and through the International Monetary Fund, trade and investment education, climate change, and other private sector-led economic growth issues that we continue to engage with our Pakistani partners on, along with a range of other issues.

Meanwhile, White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre also offered condolences for the killings of Pakistani soldiers and urged the Afghan Taliban to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for terrorists once again.