The US Central Command has termed Pakistan a “critical counter-terrorism partner” that is “central” to the fight against the militant Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) in South Asia.
The remarks were made by Centcom Commander Navy Admiral Bradford Cooper, who testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week on the progress of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ — Washington’s campaign against Iran that began on February 28 and is paused for now.
A statement issued after the briefing on May 14 also had remarks from Cooper on the US engagement in South and Central Asia.
He told the committee that the “shared” threat of external operations emanating from Afghanistan continued to be “an animating force among our partners”.
“Pakistan, especially, is a critical CT partner that is central to the fight against ISIS-K in the region,” Admiral Cooper said, adding that Washington and Islamabad’s “strong military-to-military partnership has produced tangible results against high-value individuals with American blood on their hands”.
Admiral Cooper further told the committee that the “military-to-military partnership” was also “key” to Centcom’s support to Pakistan after the September 2025 floods.
He maintained that “these tangible, mutual wins are direct reflections of our enduring friendship and shared resolve”.
“Our Central Asian partners, likewise, are keeping a wary eye towards Afghanistan-based terrorist threats,” he added.
The development reflects the continuing partnership on counter-terrorism between the two countries.
In March 2025, shortly after becoming the US president for a second time, Donald Trump announced that the person responsible for killing 13 US service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 had been arrested with the help of Pakistan and was now on his way to the United States to face justice.
The 2021 Abbey Gate bombing killed 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The militant Islamic State (IS) group had claimed responsibility for the killings.
In a public gesture of appreciation, Trump had thanked Islamabad for its role in the capture, saying: “I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster.”
Then, in June 2025, Centcom commander Army General Michael Kurilla had praised Pakistan as a “phenomenal partner in the world of counter-terrorism”, citing the nation’s struggle against terrorism in Balochistan and against terrorist groups like the IS-K.
Hailing a “phenomenal partnership” with Islamabad, Gen Kurilla had highlighted that Pakistan has “gone after ISIS Khorasan (IS-K) killing dozens of them.”
In the US-Pakistan Counterterrorism Dialogue held in August last year, the US said that it was committed to countering terrorism in all its forms.
The same month, the US listed the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation — a move long desired by Pakistan.
On Friday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a meeting with the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur, said that Pak-US ties had strengthened during US President Donald Trump’s tenure.
