WASHINGTON: Amid growing incidents of terrorism in Pakistan, the United States has reaffirmed its resolve to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the South Asian nation in fighting the menace.
State Department Spokesperson Mathew Miller said that the US and Pakistan have a common interest in combating threats to regional peace and security, and they will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Islamabad in its fight against terrorism.
He was replying to a question from the correspondent of a private Pakistani TV channel regarding last week’s series of deadly terrorist attacks in Balochistan in which over 70 people were killed, including 23 in Musakhail where militants offloaded passengers from buses and trucks and shot at them after checking their identities.
“The people of Pakistan have suffered a lot at the hands of violent terrorists and our hearts go out to the families of the victims,” Miller stated while decrying those terrorist attacks. “Washington strongly denounces last week’s deadly terrorist attacks that targeted security personnel and civilians, including the murder of 23 innocent civilians in Musakhail,” he said.
Replying to a question regarding Iran’s warning to Pakistan to complete the pipeline project and the threat of $18 billion fine, the spokesperson said that Washington would continue to impose sanctions on Iran and advised anyone against considering agreements with the country.
“And as a matter of course, we advise anyone considering business agreements with Tehran to be aware of the potential ramifications,” the spokesperson maintained. “At the same time,” he said, “assisting Pakistan address its energy shortage is a priority for Washington, and we continue to discuss energy shortage with Islamabad.”
