WASHINGTON: Pakistan remains a critical counterterrorism partner and Islamabad and Washington continue to cooperate with each other on information sharing and law enforcement, according to an annual US report on terrorism released on Friday.
Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, the United States State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, released the annual “Congressionally Mandated Country Reports on Terrorism 2014”, at a briefing held at the department.
“South Asia remained a front line in the battle against terrorism,” the report said, adding that al Qaeda’s core in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been seriously degraded.”
“Al Qaeda’s presence in the region continued to face pressure from international, Afghan, and Pakistani forces, and Pakistan’s ongoing offensive in North Waziristan Agency, launched in June 2014, further degraded the group’s freedom to operate.”
“Pressure on al Qaeda’s traditional safe haven has constrained the leadership’s capability to communicate effectively with affiliate groups outside of South Asia,” the report added.
The report read further that the Pakistan’s Army conducted “significant counterterrorism operations” in North Waziristan Agency and Khyber Agency in the Federal Administered Tribal Areas, and civilian forces conducted operations in Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In Karachi, security forces continued an operation against organised crime and terrorist groups.
“The military operations had a significant impact on TTP safe havens.” Particularly since the start of comprehensive military operations in North Waziristan displaced militants into Afghanistan, Pakistan has sought improved coordination to address cross-border threats from TTP emanating from safe havens in Afghanistan, the report added.
“Security forces intercepted large stockpiles of weapons and explosives, and discovered bomb-making facilities and sophisticated telecommunication networks,” the report said.
Pakistan continued to arrest terrorists and initiate prosecutions throughout 2014, the report said but added that the enhanced tools provided by the Fair Trial Act of 2012.
“Law enforcement cooperation continued with respect to terrorist attacks and plots against US personnel and the Embassy and Consulates General in Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar,” the report read.
The report noted that Pakistan continued to work toward structural reforms on counterterrorism designed to centralise coordination and information sharing.
Afghan Taliban and Haqqani network leadership continued to find safe haven in Pakistan and although the country’s military operations disrupted the actions of these groups, it did not directly target them, the report said.
The report also read that Pakistan is a constructive and active participant in the Nuclear Security Summit process and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, and has worked to strengthen its strategic trade controls.
“The Export Control and Related Border Security Program increased the Government of Pakistan’s enforcement capacity by training Pakistani Customs officials on international border interdiction techniques,” the report added.
Trainings were implemented by the US Department of Homeland Security, the Customs and Border Protection Agency; and the US Department of Energy, the report read further.
The United States and Pakistan, the report said, regularly discussed counterterrorism and border-control efforts to interdict terrorists. The 2013 trilateral border standard operating procedures between Pakistan, Afghanistan, and ISAF expired at the end of 2014. Pakistan and Afghanistan continued to negotiate a replacement bilateral agreement.
“Indian authorities continued to blame Pakistan for supporting terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir. On September 3, al Qaeda announced the establishment of a new branch in the Indian subcontinent,” the report said.
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