The US said the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba militant groups continue to pose a regional threat and that Pakistan did not adequately address America’s concerns on terrorism in 2017.
The State Department said this in its annual Country Reports on Terrorism for the year 2017. It said although al-Qaeda as well as its regional affiliate group in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), continued to operate from remote locations in the region that historically have been exploited as safe havens.
The report notes that from August to December 2017, the Trump administration placed a pause on spending new Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan, holding these funds until Pakistan addressed key US concerns, including the threat posed by the Haqqani Network and other terrorist groups that enjoyed safe haven with Pakistan.
The report also mentioned that Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in 2017, which continued to operate, train, organise, and fundraise in Pakistan.
According to the report, the Pakistani military and security forces undertook operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistan, such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
The report also question the Pakistan’s court for releasing, Jamaat ud-Dawa (JuD), Chief Hafiz Saeed from house arrest in November 2017.
