Islamabad, August 13: The United States and Pakistan have agreed to intensify cooperation in countering major militant groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), ISIS-Khorasan, and the Taliban.
The understanding was reached during a bilateral counterterrorism dialogue held in Islamabad on Tuesday, just a day after Washington formally designated the Pakistan-based BLA as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation.
The talks were co-chaired by Pakistan’s Special Secretary for the United Nations, Nabeel Munir, and Gregory D. LoGerfo, the Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the US Department of State. Officials discussed strategies to enhance intelligence sharing, disrupt terror financing, and bolster joint operations targeting cross-border militancy.
The US designation of the BLA marks a significant shift in Washington’s counterterrorism focus in South Asia, potentially opening the door for greater operational collaboration with Islamabad. Both sides stressed that dismantling networks linked to ISIS-Khorasan and the Taliban remains a top priority, especially amid security concerns in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s border areas.
The counterterrorism dialogue is part of an ongoing effort to rebuild US-Pakistan security ties, which have been strained in recent years but are now seeing renewed engagement through structured talks and intelligence partnerships.