The U.S. State Department on Monday backed calls from Pakistan in making it “very clear” that it believes the Afghan Taliban have the responsibility to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks.
Earlier, a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) after the 258th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) had reiterated concerns that sanctuaries and freedom of movement available to terrorists such as the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Afghanistan was among the “major reasons” impacting the security of Pakistan. Last week, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had similarly called on the Taliban to adhere to their commitments under the Doha Agreement, prompting a Taliban spokesman to claim that the deal was inked with the U.S. and did not apply to Islamabad.
Responding to a question on the statement issued by the CCC, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a press briefing that the Taliban administration bore the responsibility to control terror activities originating from their territory. “I don’t have any comment specifically on that, but I will say we have made very clear that we believe the Taliban has the responsibility to prevent the—Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks,” he said.
Since the TTP unilaterally ended a ceasefire inked with Islamabad in November, Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban to ensure their soil is not used to stage terrorist attacks on any other country. The country has witnessed a surge in terrorism, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, over the past year, prompting armed forces to ramp up efforts against militants.
The Taliban, however, maintain the TTP is not based on its soil—despite evidence to the contrary—and have urged Islamabad to resolve the issue through “dialogue.”