(MENAFN- Gulf Times) After an exchange of harsh words between Islamabad and Washington, the US State Department has admitted that Pakistan is key to achieving American goals in Afghanistan.
'Pakistan is an important partner for achieving US priorities in the region but this administration has also set clear expectations for Pakistan to take a decisive action against terrorist and militant groups that operate from Pakistani soil, a State Department spokesperson was quoted by The News daily yesterday while commenting on new United States national security policy.
During an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday, US Vice-President Mike Pence said that the Trump administration had 'put Pakistan on notice.
The Pakistan Foreign Office in Islamabad reacted strongly to the statement, saying: 'Allies do not put each other on notice.
The State Department spokesperson told The News that the US is seeking an eventual peace settlement in Afghanistan.
'The US will partner with Afghanistan to promote security and stability in the region and to increase pressure on the ISIS (a variant name for the Islamic State group) and the Taliban through enhanced military resources and authorities, the spokesperson said. 'We will help set diplomatic conditions for a genuine peace settlement that finally ends the war.
While the US-Pakistan tensions are high, a top US expert has hinted at the possibility of a special forces' operation inside Pakistan, similar to the one in which Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was killed in 2011.
'While risky, the possibility of America conducting a special forces' operation or two in Pakistan to nab big-fish terrorist targets can't be ruled out, says Michael Kugelman who is Senior Associate for South Asia at the US think tank Woodrow Wilson Centre.
In his article, Kugelman however added that such an operation would likely require intelligence assistance from Pakistan that Islamabad would not provide.
He also acknowledged that any such US action would risk Pakistani retaliation, which includes shutting down Nato supply lines, and suspending intelligence co-operation, which could undercut American interest.
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