US vigilant to threats from terrorist outfits

WASHINGTON: The US on Thursday said that it remains vigilant against the evolving threats posed by various terrorist outfits, including al Qaeda, and ISIS-K.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism and we continue to push the Taliban to fulfil all of their counterterrorism commitments to the international community,” the State Department spokesperson stated.

During the daily press briefing, the spokesperson maintained that the US has made clear to the Taliban that it’s their responsibility to ensure that they give no safe haven to terrorists, whether it’s al Qaeda or ISIS-K or any other terrorist organisation. “Our global coalition to defeat ISIS, and the C5+1, help intensify our efforts to monitor terrorist threats from the region and prevent terrorists ability to raise funds, travel and spread propaganda,” he said.

The spokesperson stressed that the US will “continue to work to hold ISIS accountable for its actions and prevent terrorist attacks against the US and other western countries.” In response to a related question, the spokesperson explained that the US administration has maintained an unwavering focus on terrorism since President Biden took office three years ago. “Working both unilaterally and with our partners to successfully disrupt threats around the globe and degrade ISIS,” he said, adding that in February 2022, operating on president’s orders, US military forces successfully targeted Haji Abdullah, the leader of ISIS, and then later successfully concluded airstrike in Kabul killing al Qaeda ameer Aiman al Zawahri.