Islamabad hosts Pak-US counterterrorism talks as both sides vow to tackle new militant tactics

Arab News

5 days ago

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States have reaffirmed their commitment to combating militancy and addressing new security threats during a joint counterterrorism dialogue in Islamabad on Tuesday, the Pakistani foreign office said.
The talks, co-chaired by Pakistan's Special Secretary for the United Nations Nabeel Munir and the US Department of State's Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism Gregory D. LoGerfo, covered strategies to counter militant groups and adapt to emerging security challenges such as the use of new technologies by non-state actors.
The latest meeting was the third counterterrorism dialogue in less than two years, following sessions in May 2024 and March 2023, signaling a renewed phase in joint efforts to counter both traditional militant threats and emerging, technology-driven dangers posed by non-state actors.
'Both delegations emphasized the importance of building stronger institutional frameworks and developing capabilities to respond to security challenges and to counter the use of emerging technologies for terrorist purposes,' the foreign office said in a joint statement after the talks.
'The United States applauded Pakistan's continued successes to contain terrorist entities that pose a threat to the peace and security of the region and the world.'
The discussions focused on groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Daesh's Khorasan chapter, and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The BLA separatist group, which claimed last year's hijacking of a train in Pakistan's southwestern mountains in which 31 soldiers, staff and civilians were killed, was designated a 'foreign terrorist organization' by Washington on Monday, alongside its Majeed Brigade special operations unit, a move aimed at restricting their funding and support networks.
In recent months, Pakistan has reported the use of commercial drones by TTP militants in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to attack security forces and civilian targets, marking a dangerous shift in militant tactics.
At the Islamabad talks, both countries also agreed to deepen cooperation in multilateral forums, including the United Nations, to promote 'effective and enduring approaches to counterterrorism.'
Following the dialogue, LoGerfo met Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who 'encouraged sustained and structured bilateral engagement on counterterrorism between both countries, as a vital contributor to peace and stability in the region and beyond,' the statement added.
Pakistan and the US have a long, complex history of security cooperation, particularly during the US-led 'War on Terror' after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when Islamabad was a key partner in military operations in Afghanistan.
In the years since, relations have repeatedly been strained over terrorism and security issues, and were particularly bad during the last government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who publicly accused Washington of working with his political opponents and the military to remove him from office — a charge all three deny.
Under the current US President Donald Trump administration, ties have warmed again, with both sides signaling a renewed willingness to deepen military, counterterrorism and economic cooperation.