WASHINGTON: US Assistant Secretary of State Thomas West has expressed deep concern over recent rise in terror attacks by banned outfit TTP, and said it is a challenge that Pakistan is dealing with.
In an interview with the Voice of America, Thomas West said said that Pakistan was an important partner of the US and “we would continue to work together,” thanking Pakistan for hosting Afghan refugees for 40 years.
He said that in the last one year, there had been a significant increase in TTP attacks against Pakistan and this was a matter of concern, it was a challenge that Pakistan is dealing with.
Thomas West said that he stayed in Pakistan for two and a half days two weeks ago and discussed the common interests in Afghanistan, and was happy to talk to security and civil officials in Islamabad. .
He said “we don’t need any third country to facilitate communication with the Taliban,” adding that he and other members of the US government were in regular contact with the Taliban.
Thomas West said that did not believe there would be any practical partnership between the US and the Taliban. He said efforts were being made to persuade the Afghan Taliban to fulfill their commitments set out in the Doha Agreement to ensure that terrorists did not pose a threat to the United States or its allies.
Regarding the US attack on Ayman al-Zawahiri, Thomas West said that the Taliban’s harboring of Ayman al-Zawahiri was a clear violation of the Doha agreement. He said he could confirm that US officials and Taliban representatives had met face-to-face for the first time in Doha.
