US warns Pakistan, says it won't hesitate to act alone to destroy terror networks

Washington: Asserting that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ISI is not taking action against all terror groups, the United States has warned Pakistan that it will not hesitate to act alone, when necessary, to disrupt and destroy terror networks operating in the country.

"The problem is that there are forces within the Pakistani government – specifically in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI – that refuse to take similar steps against all the terrorist groups active in Pakistan, tolerating some groups – or even worse," Adam Szubin, Acting Under Secretary on Countering the Financing of Terrorism, told a Washington audience.

"We continue to urge our partners in Pakistan to go after all terrorist networks operating in their country. We stand ready to help them. But there should be no doubt that while we remain committed to working with Pakistan to confront ongoing terrorist financing and operations, the US will not hesitate to act alone, when necessary, to disrupt and destroy these networks," Szubin warned.

In his remarks at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Mr Szubin said at the same time, Pakistan has been – and remains – a critical counterterrorism partner in many respects.

"Of course, Pakistanis are themselves often the victims of brutal terrorist attacks on schools, markets, and mosques, and the list unfortunately goes on. And in the face of such violence, Pakistan has in some ways pushed back," Mr Szubin said.

"Pakistan has achieved success in its ongoing operations against traditional terrorist safe havens in northwest Pakistan. It has officially designated ISIL as a terrorist organisation. And it has gone after the funding and operational capabilities of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP," he said.

But the ISI problem of supporting terrorist groups continues, he said.

"This is a distinction we cannot stand for," Mr Szubin asserted.