Top US general defends ties with Pakistan despite its terror record, also backs 'relationship' with India

A top US general has said that the United States must maintain ties with both India and Pakistan due to the Pakistani military’s role in combating the threat from Islamic State-Khorasan Province, comments that may not sit well with New Delhi.

The Islamic State -Khorasan Province is a regional branch of the Salafi jihadist group Islamic State active in Central and South Asia, primarily Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

According to a Hindustan Times report, US Central Command chief Gen. Michael Kurilla, who is set to retire this summer, called Pakistan a “phenomenal partner” in counter-terrorism and praised the role of the Pakistani military and Army Chief Asim Munir in the fight against ISIS-Khorasan, also known as IS-KP.

“That’s why we need…to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can’t have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India,” HT quoted Kurilla as saying while answering questions from members of the panel.

“We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has,” he added.

There was no immediate response to Kurilla’s comments from Indian officials, added the report.

His comments come as India has stepped up efforts to highlight Pakistan’s backing of cross-border terrorism, following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22, which claimed 26 lives.

Following the attack, India carried out precision strikes under ‘Operation Sindoor’ on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early on May 7.

After the Indian action, Pakistan attempted to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian forces launched a fierce counter-attack on several Pakistani military installations.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Indian officials, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, have stressed that victims of terrorism and the perpetrators of attacks like the one in Pahalgam should not be equated.

New Delhi has also expressed frustration over several countries hyphenating India and Pakistan together in the wake of last month’s military clashes.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM), headquartered in Florida, oversees military operations across 21 countries in West, Central, and South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

In contrast, military relations with India fall under the Hawaii-based US Indo-Pacific Command.

Gen. Kurilla said that ISIS-K, based in Afghanistan, is among the most active terrorist groups planning attacks globally, including threats to the US homeland. He said the Afghan Taliban have targeted ISIS-K, pushing many of its fighters into the tribal regions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Kurilla said that Islamabad is targeting ISIS-Khorasan using limited intelligence support from the US.

He added that Pakistan has faced roughly 1,000 terrorist attacks since the beginning of 2024, resulting in the deaths of around 700 security personnel and 2,500 civilians.

“Through a phenomenal partnership with Pakistan, they have gone after ISIS-Khorasan, killing dozens of them. Through a relationship we have with them, [and] providing intelligence, they have captured at least five ISIS-Khorasan high-value individuals,” HT quoted him as saying.

Kurilla said Pakistan extradited Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, a key figure behind the August 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed 13 US service members and 160 civilians during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The first person…the (Pakistani) chief of army staff Munir (called) was me and said, ‘I’ve caught him, I’m willing to extradite him back to the US, please tell the secretary of defense and the president,’” he said.

Kurilla also told the committee that Pakistan’s importance as a counter-terrorism partner in Central and South Asia “will only grow as the Taliban continues to grapple with internal security challenges.”

With inputs from agencies