US says will try to work with Pakistan ‘one more time’
Washington: US Defence Secretary James Mattis said on Tuesday (Oct 3) the United States would try “one more time” to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan before President Donald Trump would turn to options to address Islamabad’s alleged support for militant groups.
Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade. While officials have long questioned the role Pakistan has played in Afghanistan, the comments by Mattis are likely to cause concern in Islamabad and within the Pakistan military. “We need to try one more time to make this strategy work with them, by, with and through the Pakistanis, and if our best efforts fail, the President is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary,” Mattis said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Mattis added that he would be travelling to Islamabad soon, but did not give more details. “I will fly in and we will continue to try to work with them,” Mattis said.
Reuters first reported that possible Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding US drone strikes and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan’s status as a major nonNato ally.
When asked by a lawmaker whether revoking of Pakistan’s major non-Nato ally was amongst the options being considered to deal with Islamabad, Mattis said: “I am sure it will be.”
In a separate Senate hearing on Tuesday, the top US military officer said he believed Pakistan’s main spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, had ties to militant groups.