——– Pakistan’s Strikes on TTP Hideouts in Afghanistan a Domestic Matter, says Pentagon Spox
——– Adds Pakistan retains autonomy in decisions concerning border protection & internal security
WASHINGTON: The US Department of Defense “Pentagon”, addressed Pakistan’s recent an-nouncements of continued airstrikes on TTP hideouts in Afghanistan, categorizing it as a domestic mat-ter.
During a press briefing, Pentagon Spokesperson Maj Gen Patrick S Ryder emphasized that Pakistan retains autonomy in decisions concerning border protection and internal security.
Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaj Asif has said few days ago that Pakistan will continue to launch at-tacks against Afghanistan as part of a new military operation aimed at countering terrorism,
Khawaja Asif said the aerial strikes were targeting groups which Pakistan accuses of targeting security forces and civilians. “I am not going to delve into Pakistani domestic decisions. There are regional concerns regarding ter-rorism, but Pakistan’s sovereign decisions on border security and internal security are theirs,” Gen Ry-der remarked.
He highlighted the longstanding counterterrorism partnership between the US and Pakistan. “We have a longstanding relationship with Pakistan focused on counterterrorism efforts. Discussions re-garding support are ongoing between the US and Pakistan. We continue to explore avenues for col-laboration to combat regional terrorism,” he stated.
Responding to inquiries about intelligence sharing between the two nations, the Pentagon Spokesper-son declined to comment on future operations or intelligence matters. –Agencies
