WASHINGTON: The United States has strongly condemned Sunday’s suicide bomb attack in Bajaur, Pakistan; Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the State Department, reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to work with Islamabad to address the mutual terrorist threats.
Miller said at his daily press briefing on Tuesday that no country should have to go through such terrorist activities. He said, “We strongly condemn the attack in northwestern Pakistan during a political rally on Sunday.” The deadly attack killed 56 people and injured 83.
“We extend our sincere condolences to everyone impacted by the attack and are extremely saddened by the deaths and injuries caused by the blast. Terrorists have caused the Pakistani people immense suffering. Such terrorist activities shouldn’t be tolerated in any nation, Miller continued.
In addition, Miller stated that the United States is “committed to working with Pakistan to address the mutual threat posed by terrorist groups throughout the region and support the Pakistani Government’s efforts to combat terrorism in a manner that promotes the rule of law and the protection of human rights.”
When the Taliban and the United States met recently in Doha, did the Taliban give any assurances that their territory wouldn’t be used in cross-border terrorist attacks? The question was asked to the spokesperson.
Miller responded, “We made clear it with the Taliban in that meeting, as we have in our other meetings. We believe it is important that the Taliban not allow Afghanistan to be used for terrorist attacks as a base in the region or anywhere else.”
In response to a follow-up question about whether Pakistan had requested military assistance from the United States to combat the threat of terrorism, he said, “I’m not going to get into conversations between our two countries, but I will say that the State Department does fund several counterterrorism capacity building programs in Pakistan, focused on law enforcement and the justice sector, and we’ll continue to do so.”
In response to a query regarding the relationship between Pakistan and China, Miller stated, “I will say that, first and foremost, our support for Pakistan’s economic development is steadfast. As these are all top priorities for our bilateral relationship, we’ll keep talking to Pakistan about advancing our business and investment partnerships.
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