Washington willing to give Islamabad information to strike terrorist targets: Tillerson

Says relations with Haqqani network, Taliban may have served purpose for stability earlier but no longer do

The United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Pakistan is willing to target terrorists if provided information and Washington plans to give Islamabad the opportunity to do so.



During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, on Monday night, Tillerson told Congress that the Pakistani government understands that “they will be one of the greatest beneficiaries of a successful peace process in Afghanistan.”

He further stated that Pakistan had two very unstable borders, one with Afghanistan and one with India, and the message he delivered during his recent trip to Pakistan was that “you [Pakistan] have to begin to create greater stability inside your country and that means denying safe haven to any of these organisations that launch attacks from your territory”.

“Pakistan will find it in their interest to disassociate themselves from these long-standing relationships that have developed over time with certain terrorist organisations,” he added.

Tillerson claimed that Pakistan may have developed long-standing relations with the Haqqani network and the Taliban, which might have served their purpose for stability in the past but they no longer served that purpose.

“It’s up to Pakistan I think, to think about their longer-term stability and their future by changing that relationship with these organisations,” said the chief US diplomat.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis and Tillerson also told US lawmakers that they believe they have the legal authority to conduct operations against terrorist groups, including the Islamic State (IS), according to Washington Post. They said there was no need for a new war authorisation to replace the one passed immediately after the September 11, 2001, attacks.



The two senior members of US President Donald Trump’s national security team told the committee that any attempt to place time limits or geographical constraints in a new Authorisation for the Use of Military Force could cripple efforts to fight terrorists.