First and foremost, we cannot afford to undermine our shared efforts against terrorism with conspiracy theories. The fact of the matter is that the U.S., Afghanistan and Pakistan have lost thousands of brave soldiers in fighting terrorism. Furthermore, our nations continue to make sacrifices for the sake of achieving our shared peace objectives. These meetings between the regional partners allow both nations to address their shared concerns and build on the improving relationship. It is simply in our best interests to remain unified against those who pose a risk to the safety of our nations. At the end of the day, we have come too far and made too many sacrifices to lose control of the situation. We greatly appreciate all of Pakistan’s and Afghanistan’s sacrifices in our fight against terrorism, and hope to maintain a healthy working partnership for the betterment of the region. This is what RDML John Kirby, Pentagon Press Secretary, said last week: "The Pakistani people know well the threat of terrorism. They've suffered now from it for years. And the Pakistani military continues to take casualties as they go against terrorists inside their country. It's very much an internal threat inside Pakistan. And we are mindful of that, which is one of the reasons why we're grateful that the communication and coordination with the Pakistani military across that border continues, and it's pretty healthy right now. But this is obviously a threat that the Pakistani people know all too well, and that's also an indication of the continued terrorism threat that emanates from that part of the world."
Ali Khan
Digital Engagement Team, USCENTCOM