US lauds Pakistan efforts against terrorism

WASHINGTON: The United States fully recognizes Islamabad's commitment to pushing back and fighting militants, US State Department said.

Mark Toner, Deputy Spokesperson of the US State Department lauded Pakistan’s efforts against terrorists in a daily press briefing, saying “No one is more affected by terrorism than the people of Pakistan, and we’re going to continue to support them, whether it’s Daesh or other terrorist groups operating on their soil.”

Reply to a question about the presence of Daesh in Pakistan, Mark Toner said, “I can’t speak specifically on Daesh presence or non-presence in Pakistan. I can say that we have seen elements of Daesh or Daesh-affiliated groups spring up in Afghanistan. I mean, they look for ungoverned spaces.”

“There are parts of Pakistan that are havens for some of these terrorist organizations,” Toner added.

About the meeting of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Washington in the sidelines of nuclear summit, Mark Toner said “I don’t have anything specific to point to.”

However, he said US remain engaged with the Indian government and it wanted to see this entire effort move forward. “We’re supportive of the – of any decisions that could be made for this to take place.”