Pakistani & U.S. senior officials emphasize the importance of expanded counterterrorism collaboration & capacity building

WASHINGTON, May 13 (SABAH): Additional Foreign Secretary for the UN and OIC, Ambassador Syed Haider Shah, and US Department of State Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, co-chaired Pakistan-U.S. Counterterrorism Dialogue in Washington DC.

According to a statement issued by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the Counterterrorism Dialogue underscores the cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in addressing the most pressing challenges to regional and global security, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan. Discussions centered on the counterterrorism landscape in the region, with a focus on areas of mutual interest. Pakistani and U.S. senior officials emphasized the importance of expanded counterterrorism collaboration and capacity building, including exchanges of technical expertise and best practices, investigative and prosecutorial assistance, provision of border security infrastructure and training, including the United States training of more than 300 police and frontline responders since the last Pakistan-U.S. Counterterrorism Dialogue in March 2023, and strengthening multilateral engagement such as in the UN and the Global Counterterrorism Forum.

Pakistan and the United States recognize that a partnership to counter ISIS-Khorasan, TTP, and other terrorist organizations will advance security in the region and serve as a model of bilateral and regional cooperation to address transnational terrorism threats. Both governments resolved to increase communication on these topics and continue collaboration to detect and deter violent extremism through whole-of-government approaches. The Counterterrorism Dialogue reaffirms Pakistan’s and the United States’ shared determination to contribute to both regional and global security and stability.