WASHINGTON: The United States State Department on Tuesday urged the Taliban government in Afghanistan to prevent terror attacks from its soil while asking Pakistan to ensure the safety of civilians during counter-terrorism operations.
A day earlier, Pakistani forces conducted intelligence operations in the border areas of Afghanistan against terrorists launching attacks in Pakistan from Afghan soil after the March 16 attack.
The Mir Ali attack martyred at least seven Pakistan Army soldiers – including a lieutenant colonel and a captain – after they fought gallantly with terrorists when they attacked a security force post in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
“We deeply regret the loss of life and injustice suffered during the attack in Pakistan and the loss of civilian life during the strike in Afghanistan,” said Vedant Patel, the State Department’s senior deputy spokesman.
“We call on the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil, and we urge Pakistan to exercise restraint and ensure that civilians are not harmed in its counter-terrorism efforts. And we call on both sides to resolve any differences,” he added.
The Afghan Taliban claimed that two airstrikes carried out inside Afghanistan by Pakistani forces killed eight people in the war-torn country. Patel said Washington remains committed to ensuring that Afghanistan never again becomes a “safe haven for terrorists seeking to harm the United States or our partners and allies.”
Asked to clarify the US position on Pakistan’s attacks in Afghanistan, the spokesman said: “Any loss of civilian life is concerning and heartbreaking for us, and we want to make sure that when any of these operations are carried out, every possible step is taken that it is the perpetrators who are held accountable and that it is not the civilians who are affected.”
When asked, the spokesman said the US regularly communicates with Pakistani leaders to discuss Afghanistan in detail, including through counter-terrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations.