US Talking To Pak Leaders To Shut Down Safe Havens For Taliban: Pentagon

The Pentagon's statement came after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke over phone with Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The US is having conversations with the Pakistani leadership about the need to shutdown the safe havens for Taliban terrorists along the Afghan-Pakistan border that are providing a source of more insecurity and instability inside Afghanistan, the Pentagon has said, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke over phone with Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. Austin, in a phone call with Gen Bajwa on Monday, discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, regional security issues and the bilateral defence ties, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said. During the phone call, Austin expressed his interest in continuing to improve the US-Pakistan relationship and build upon their multiple shared interests in the region, Kirby said on Monday in a readout of the conversation. "Secretary Austin and General Bajwa discussed the ongoing situation in Afghanistan, regional security and stability, and the bilateral defence relationship more broadly," Kirby said.