Pentagon responds to Indo-Pak military standoff on LOC
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WASHINGTON: (APP) The US Defense Department expressed the hope that tensions between Pakistan and India would be lowered, and encouraged the nuclear-armed nations to continue their communication to this end.
Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told a briefing that they were aware that the Indian and Pakistani militaries had been in communication with one another and the United States would encourage these continued discussions between the two countries to reduce tension.
"We are encouraged by that and we certainly would encourage those conversations to continue," Cook said adding that the US officials had been in touch with both India and Pakistan.
On the situation in Afghanistan and its ties with Pakistan, the Pentagon spokesman said that it was important for both the countries, and for all parties in that region, to address the issue of terrorism."
And we'll continue to make every effort we can to work with our partners in the region to address that issue."
He said there was an ongoing conversation between Pakistan and the United States with the issue of counterterrorism and the two countries have a shared threat of terrorism.
He said the two countries were also in touch with regard to the operations against terrorists and their movement across the border.
To a question on Afghanistan, Cook said the United States was working with Afghan forces in the counter-terrorism effort against ISIL for some time now. This is again an offensive action against ISIL because we do not want to let this group be able to take root in Afghanistan as it has in other places, he added.
"We'll continue to target ISIL in Afghanistan and ISIL wherever it appears."
He said that the US forces were targeting ISIL in Afghanistan and it was an effort to try and address a threat not only to the Afghan people and the Afghan government but a larger threat to the United States. "We'll continue to target and go after ISIL wherever it appears.
