- The US demand comes after attacks on Pakistani forces.
- Pakistanis have suffered a lot because of terrorists: Miller.
- “Pakistan sometimes finds itself in a difficult situation,” the Pentagon says.
Following attacks on security personnel in Pakistan, the US State Department on Tuesday urged the Afghan Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from their territory.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said this in response to a query seeking his comments on a recent terrorist attack in which seven people, including two security forces personnel and five civilians, including children, were martyred in Dera Ismail Khan.
The security personnel were killed in an hours-long exchange of fire with the terrorists and once again these were terrorists coming from the “safe haven in Afghanistan,” the Inter-Services Public Relations Bureau (ISPR) said.
“On the night of 15/16 July, terrorists carried out a cowardly attack on the Rural Health Centre (RHC), Kirri Shamozai in Dera Ismail Khan district and opened indiscriminate fire on the RHC staff.”
Speaking at a news conference, Miller said: “We continue to urge the Taliban to ensure that no terrorist attacks are launched from Afghan soil.”
The spokesman said it had been a priority for the United States in its engagements with them and remains so.
He reiterated that the Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists and terrorists.
“We have a shared interest with the Pakistani people and the Government of Pakistan in combating threats to regional security.”
It is pertinent to mention here that this was the second terrorist attack in a 24-hour period as eight soldiers were killed while trying to thwart a terrorist infiltration into the Bannu Cantonment in the early hours of July 15.
According to the ISPR, the 10 terrorists who tried to enter the canton were killed when they rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the perimeter wall of the cantonment when their attack failed.
The attacks come as Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by various banned groups to carry out terrorist attacks against Pakistan.
The country, during the second quarter of 2024, witnessed 380 violence-related deaths and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel and criminals, as a result of as many as 240 incidents of terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations, according to an annual security report by Security Studies (CRSS).
This includes 236 deaths among civilians and security forces personnel, the report added.
Pentagon says Pakistan is fighting a tough battle
Meanwhile, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder expressed his condolences to the families of those soldiers who gave their lives in the line of duty.
In response to a question during a news conference, Ryder said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the soldiers we lost.”
“Pakistan is in a difficult situation in the fight against terrorists in the region. So I am saddened to hear that.”
He also said that the United States and Pakistan have worked together in the past and “we continue to discuss ways in which we can work together.”
Responding to another question on Pakistan's demand for modern American weapons to deal with the situation, the spokesman said: “I have nothing to announce.”
“We have a cooperative security relationship with Pakistan. So I am confident that those discussions are taking place through those mechanisms to discuss Pakistan’s needs and what the United States can do to support them,” he added.
