Will act unilaterally against terrorism if needed: Pentagon on US-Pak ties

The US will take "unilateral steps in areas of divergence" with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, the Pentagon on Friday told Congress and insisted that there must be "fundamental change" in the way Islamabad deals with terrorist safe havens on its territory. 

In its first report on Afghanistan to Congress after President Donald Trump announced his new Afghan and South Asia strategy, the Pentagon said it will be a part of a whole-of-government, regional strategy to isolate the Taliban from "sources of external support" and to mitigate any malign influence from outside actors.

"Our military-to-military relationship with Pakistan remains critical to the success of our mutual interests in the region," said the semiannual report titled 'Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan' that covers events during the period from June 1 to November 30 this year.

"To move forward, we must see fundamental changes in the way Pakistan deals with terrorist safe-havens in its territory," the report said.

"To induce that change, we will work across the US government, using a range of tools to expand our cooperation with Pakistan in areas where our interests converge and to take unilateral steps in areas of divergence," it said.
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