ISLAMABAD: The United States and Pakistan have reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation against militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban, Daesh and the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), as senior officials from both countries held counterterrorism talks in Washington, according to a joint statement released on Wednesday.
The dialogue comes as Pakistan faces a sharp resurgence in militant violence, particularly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern province of Balochistan.
Islamabad has blamed much of the violence on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says operates from sanctuaries in neighboring Afghanistan, an allegation denied by the Taliban government in Kabul. Balochistan has meanwhile witnessed an increase in attacks by separatist groups, particularly the BLA, targeting security forces, Chinese nationals and infrastructure linked to the multimillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Relations between Washington and Islamabad cooled after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021, ending decades of security cooperation centered on the war against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Under President Donald Trump’s administration, however, the two countries have moved to rebuild ties through increased engagement on counterterrorism, trade, investments and regional diplomacy, with Pakistan also playing a mediating role in recent US-Iran contacts.
“The United States and Pakistan affirmed their joint resolve to confront terrorist organizations that endanger the safety of their citizens and the stability of the region, including Daesh-Khorasan (ISIS-K), Al-Qa’ida (AQ), the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliates,” the two governments said in a joint statement following the fourth US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue.
“The two governments committed to ensuring their counterterrorism collaboration to keep both of their nations safe and secure, and as part of an enduring vision of regional peace, prosperity, and stability.”
The dialogue was held in Washington on Tuesday and was led by US Coordinator for Counterterrorism Ambassador Gregory LoGerfo and Pakistan’s Special Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Nabeel Munir.
According to the joint statement, officials exchanged views on the evolving threat environment, explored ways to enhance counterterrorism cooperation and discussed measures to strengthen border security and disrupt terrorist facilitation networks.
Among the groups discussed was Daesh-K, also known as Daesh-Khorasan, the Afghanistan-based regional affiliate of the Daesh militant group. The organization has carried out a series of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan and has been identified by both countries as a major regional security threat.
The TTP, often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, is a separate organization from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, though the two share ideological roots. Pakistan considers the TTP its most significant internal security threat and says the group has stepped up attacks since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
The BLA is the largest separatist militant group operating in Balochistan, a mineral-rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran. The group seeks independence for the province and has increasingly targeted Pakistani security forces, Chinese nationals and major infrastructure projects. Pakistan, the United States and several other countries have designated the BLA as a terrorist organization.
