KARACHI: US Central Com­mand (Centcom) chief General Michael Erik Kurilla, in a meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Monday, recognised Pakistan’s “continued efforts” for bringing peace and stability to the region.

The meeting comes days after both countries called on the interim Afghan government to prevent their soil from being used as a safe haven for terrorist attacks, Dawn.com reported.

According to the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Kurilla called on Gen Munir in Rawalpindi.

“The visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army’s successes in [the] fight against terrorism and Pakistan’s continued efforts for bringing peace and stability in the region,” the statement said.

“During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, [the] regional security situation and defence cooperation were discussed,” the ISPR added.

It stated that both sides reiterated the desire to further enhance bilateral relations in all fields.

In a press briefing last week, US State Depa­rt­m­ent Spokesperson Matt­h­ew Miller said the Afghan Taliban administration bore the responsibility to control terror activities originating from their territory.

“I will say we have made very clear that we believe the Taliban has the responsibility to prevent Afghanistan from being used as a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks,” he said in response to a question.

The statement came after the Pakistan Army blamed Kabul for the uptick in militancy, saying that “safe havens and liberty of action”, along with the latest weapons available to militants from Afgh­an­istan enabled them to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2023