U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) chief Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla on Monday met with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir, with both officials reiterating a desire to further enhance bilateral ties between their countries in all fields.
According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the CENTCOM chief met the Army chief at General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. It said Gen. Kurilla acknowledged and appreciated the Pakistan Army’s successes in the fight against terrorism, as well as Pakistan’s continued efforts to bring peace and stability to the region.
The meeting also discussed the regional security situation, as well as matters of mutual interest and defense cooperation, the military’s media wing added.
The CENTCOM chief’s visit to Pakistan comes amidst a resurgence of terrorism in the country, with both civil and military leaders pointing to neighboring Afghanistan as facilitating the freedom of movement of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and granting its militants “safe havens.” In response to mounting calls for the Afghan Taliban to fulfill their commitments under the Doha Agreement, a spokesperson for the interim government claimed the deal only applied to the U.S. and did not extend to Islamabad.
Following this, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing that the Afghan Taliban administration bore the responsibility to control terror activities originating from their territory. “I will say we have made very clear that we believe the Taliban has the responsibility to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks,” he said.