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28 June 2024

Counterterrorism in Af-Pak: Can the US ‘Do More’?

Bantirani Patro

Last month, the U.S. State Department issued a joint statement on the Pakistan-U.S. Counterterrorism Dialogue, held on May 10. The statement highlighted the cooperation between the two sides “in addressing the most pressing challenges to regional and global security, including Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan,” also known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). The dialogue was co-chaired by Ambassador Elizabeth Richard, representing the U.S. side as the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, and Ambassador Syed Haider Shah, who serves as Pakistan’s Additional Foreign Secretary at the United Nations.

In 2023, the dialogue was held from March 6-7 in Islamabad, where both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing Pakistan’s counterterrorism capacity. The latest iteration commenced amid many vicissitudes in Pakistan’s terrorism landscape, meriting closer study.

Preceding the 2024 Counteterrorism Dialogue, the U.S. Central Command chief, General Michael Erik Kurilla, visited Pakistan from May 7 to 9, during which he traveled to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan to discuss the counterterrorism operations along the frontier areas.

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