12 May 2017•Update: 15 May 2017
By Aamir Latif
KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States on Friday agreed to act against Daesh militant group through joint efforts in their respective areas of operations.
The trilateral meeting of top military officials was held at Pakistan army headquarters in garrison city of Rawalpindi, according to a statement issued by Pakistani army on Friday.
The meeting -- seen as crucial following the Friday’s suicide attack in southwestern Pakistan claimed by Daesh and escalating border tensions between Islamabad and Kabul -- “stressed upon the need to defeat Daesh through complementary efforts in respective areas of operations”.
Though, Pakistan officially does not recognize Daesh as a major threat to its security but the claims of responsibility for two major suicide attacks in the last few months have rung alarms for the security agencies.
The meeting was attended by Afghanistan’s director general military operations (DGMO) Major General Habib Hesari, Pakistan’s DGMO, Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and the U.S. Resolute Support Mission's Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Christopher Haas.
The trilateral meeting was followed by a bilateral meeting between Pakistan and Afghanistan to discuss the ongoing border tensions between the two neighbors, in addition to find measures for improving military-to-military coordination and cooperation, the statement added.
Pakistan last week closed down its southwestern Chaman border crossing with Afghanistan following a deadly border clash that left over a dozen people, mostly civilians, from both sides dead.
“Both sides agreed to enhance frequency of bilateral interaction at multiple tiers through different command and staff channels to foster an environment of mutual respect, trust, cordiality and cooperation”, it added.
