US Lauds Pakistan As 'Counter-Terror Partner' Even As Its Citizen Plots ISIS-Inspired Bloodbath In America (WATCH)

In a statement that is bound to raise eyebrows in New Delhi and beyond, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Chief General Michael Kurilla on Wednesday described Pakistan as a“phenomenal counter-terrorism partner for America” - even as the FBI confirmed the extradition of a Pakistani national involved in an ISIS-inspired plot to massacre Jewish civilians in New York.

Kurilla's remarks, made during the House Hearing on US Military Posture and National Security in the Greater Middle East and Africa, came just hours after FBI Director Kash Patel announced that 20-year-old Pakistani citizen Muhammad Shahzeb Khan had been extradited from Canada to face charges related to a planned ISIS attack timed to coincide with the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas assault on Israel.

Pakistan A Phenomenal Partner In Counter-Terrorism: US

Despite the glaring contradiction between US praise and Pakistan's growing record of exporting radicalised individuals to the West, Kurilla doubled down on Washington's strategic partnership with Islamabad.

“ISIS-Khorasan is perhaps one of the most active groups currently attempting external attacks globally, including against the US homeland. Right now, what we're seeing is that the Taliban is going after ISIS-K. They hate each other...Pushed a lot of them into the tribal areas on the Afghan-Pakistan border through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan. They've gone after ISIS-K, killing dozens of them, through a relationship we have with them, providing intelligence...They've captured at least 5 ISIS-K high-value individuals. They extradited back Jaffar who is one of the key individuals behind the Abbey Gate bombing. The first person they called was the Chief of Army Staff and then me. They said they've caught him and going to extradite him to US. So we're seeing Pakistan, with limited intelligence provided to them going after them using their means to do that and we're seeing an effect on ISIS-K," Kurilla informed the House.

Kurilla acknowledged that ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) is one of the most aggressive terror outfits with a track record of external operations - including the recent attacks in Moscow and Kerman, Iran. He also admitted that despite Pakistan's intelligence inputs, the terrorists continue to operate across the Afghan-Pak border with impunity.

“I would also tell you since 2024 beginning Pakistan got over a 1000 terrorist attacks in the western area killing about hundreds of security personnel and civilians. They're on an active counter-terrorism fight right now. They've been a phenomenal partner in the counter-terrorism world,” he added.

US Central Command Chief General Michael Kurilla says:“Pakistan has been a phenomenal counter-terrorism partner for America”. US praises Pakistan for support against ISIS on a day FBI Chief Kash Patel says they have extradited a Pakistani terrorist from Canada for helping ISIS. twitter/aoBsA0Y99v

- NewsSpectrumAnalyzer (The News Updates 🗞️) (@Bharat_Analyzer) June 11, 2025

Pakistani Man Extradited to US Over Plot To Attack Jewish Center

The irony couldn't be starker. At almost the same time Kurilla was extolling Pakistan's cooperation, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that Muhammad Shahzeb Khan - a radicalised Pakistani national residing in Canada - had attempted to orchestrate a mass shooting targeting a Jewish centre in Brooklyn.

“Major news... Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism,” Patel posted on X.

Major news... earlier this afternoon, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, a Pakistani citizen residing in Canada, was extradited to the United States on charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and attempting to commit acts of terrorism the fall of last year, Khan...

- FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) June 10, 2025

Khan allegedly told undercover agents the plan would be“the largest attack on US soil since 9/11.” His detailed preparations included acquiring assault rifles and hunting knives to, as he put it,“slit their throats.” The planned attack was to coincide with October 7 and October 11, 2024 - the latter being Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.

The episode once again highlights the entrenched radical networks in Pakistan and among its diaspora - networks the US intelligence community is well aware of, yet chooses to downplay publicly in pursuit of so-called regional balance.

General Michael Kurilla further remarked,“We have to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I don't believe it is a binary switch that we can't have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India. We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has.”

However, critics argue this balancing act ignores the root of the problem: the military-terror nexus deeply entrenched within Pakistan's establishment - a point India has consistently flagged.

India Continues To Expose Pakistan's Terror Nexus

On Tuesday, India stepped up its diplomatic offensive against Pakistan's terror ecosystem. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, who recently led a six-nation European outreach to counter Pakistani narratives, stated on Tuesday that Islamabad's military-terror nexus remains the“main hurdle” to peace.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Prasad said India's stand on the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike and Operation Sindoor was "appreciated" by the foreign interlocutors including parliamentarians, ministers and think tanks, during meetings with them.

Prasad said the delegation, during meetings with European leaders and media briefings, presented evidence linking Pakistan to terror attacks not just in India, but also in the UK, Germany, and France. He said they highlighted how Pakistan has become the epicentre of global terrorism.

"We clarified (to them) that we are not against the people of Pakistan. The problem is Pakistan's generals (Army) with whom Pakistan's people are also fed up," Prasad told reporters.

"We clearly told them that Operation Sindoor was carried out in the dark of the night so that common people are not affected. We only hit the terror camps and about 100 terrorists were killed in the strike," he said.

"We especially told them when such kind of wars happen, friends will call us, greet and express solidarity also. But we told all friends that if Pakistan wants to talk, it must approach us directly through its DG Military Operations. Then the phone call came from them," he said.

"We told everywhere that Operation Sindoor is only under pause, subject to the good behaviour of Pakistan. It's is paused, there is no ceasefire," he added.

Prasad said the Indian delegation told European leaders that the world must recognise how Pakistan is controlled by military generals who rely on terrorists and training camps to carry out their dirty work.

"In the new set-up in Pakistan, they use terrorism as a proxy. Pakistani generals used these terrorists and their camps as proxy to make themselves relevant. That's why there could not be any peace," he added.

"We also said every government in India, irrespective of the party in power, tried to improve relations with Pakistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited (ex-Pakistan PM) Nawaz Sharif to his oath ceremony. He even went to attend his grandson's marriage. Then Uri and Pulwama (terror strikes) happened," the BJP MP said.

Prasad said the Indian delegation also told the foreign leaders that Pakistan is not only a state in denial but the military-terror nexus in Pakistan has become a "deadly combination".

"We talked about history. We also said that Pakistan remained in the hands of generals (Army) for about 55 years," he added.

Against this backdrop, Kurilla's generous endorsement of Pakistan's counter-terrorism record - on the very day a Pakistani national is charged with plotting an ISIS massacre on American soil - raises uncomfortable questions about Washington's strategic calculus.

Is the US wilfully blind to Pakistan's duplicity, or simply looking the other way to preserve a tactical arrangement in its post-Afghanistan regional policy?

Either way, for a country that has lost thousands to terrorism exported from across its western border, India will find little reassurance in America's latest round of diplomatic tightrope-walking.

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