WASHINGTON: A top US military official has said the United States will continue to work with Pakistan against the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the nominee to head the US Central Command (CENTCOM), made the remarks while addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee. He said the US wants to work with Pakistan to eliminate the banned TTP.
He said that the list of common interests of both countries includes the elimination of “all terrorist organizations” and the establishment of a stable government in Afghanistan. “The humanitarian crisis inside of Afghanistan threatens the migrants to push into Pakistan,” he said, alluding to waves of refugees who already have begun to leave Afghanistan.
The general said that he wants to continue working with Pakistan to the extent possible. Islamabad has had an uneven and at times adversarial relationship with the United States over how to handle militant groups in the region, but Kurilla said shared interests remain.
Gen Kurilla said that the Al Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) terror groups were “reconstituting” in Afghanistan. “One of the challenges is the threat to the homeland from Al Qaeda and IS-K (Khorasan). They are reconstituting. The Taliban has not renounced Al Qaeda. IS-K, with the release of the prisoners both from the Bagram prison and Pul-e-Charkhi are in a process of reconstituting,” he said.
CENTCOM’s main headquarters is based in the US but has established a forward headquarters in Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Kurilla’s claim has been rejected by the Taliban government in Afghanistan.
In a statement, Taliban deputy spokesperson Billal Karimi, said: “The allegations and propaganda that are being spread- there is no evidence or documentation. We hope instead of spreading propaganda and allegations without evidence, the world will come forward and engage and cooperate with the Islamic Emirate.”
Kurilla’s comments come after a report by the UN Security Council Monitoring Team said that the presence of foreign terror groups have increased in the war-torn nation after the collapse of the former administration in August last year.
The report also questioned the Taliban’s commitment under the 2020 Doha Agreement to preventing “international terrorist” threats from having a foothold in Afghanistan and expressed concerns that foreign groups might find safe haven in Afghanistan.
President Biden’s nominee to command US troops across the Middle East said that he sees Iran’s regional influence and weapons programs as “vexing,” and that he believes America has a “moral obligation” to evacuate more Afghans who helped the United States during its longest war.
Army Lt. Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who has deployed to the Middle East and Afghanistan throughout his career said he would assess what military options could assist the State Department in doing so.
