WASHINGTON - The United States on Monday condemned the terrorist attack on Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, stating that it is working with Pakistan to strengthen the country’s capacity to deal with such assaults.
At the daily Press briefing, Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department Marie Harf said the US has also offered Pakistan its help in investigating the incident on the country’s largest airport.
“(We) join the Pakistani people in condemning this attack. We have offered assistance to the relevant Pakistani authorities in investigating this crime,” she said, while wishing the injured speedy recovery and condoling with families of victims.
Replying to a question, Harf said there are no reports of American citizens among the casualties and all staff at the American mission is safe.
Explaining the American probe offer, she said Pakistan has a number of capabilities to handle these incidents and the US is ready to help Pakistan with the investigation.
Harf said counterterrorism is a shared concern for the United States and Pakistan.
The US, she said, works closely with Pakistan in areas of counterterrorism, to help build the South Asian country’s capacity to deal with terrorist threats.
She also cited the cooperative efforts by Pakistan and the United States in combating terrorism along the Afghan border.
“The Pakistani people themselves have been tragically the victims of many of these terrorist attacks.So the cooperation is ongoing,” Harf noted.
“The Pakistani government has a responsibility and obligation to protect its citizens and take appropriate counterterrorism measures,” she said.
Asked about efficacy of continuing Pakistani air strikes, the spokesperson said she is not going to comment on any specific air hits one way or another.
She asked the militants to lay down their arms.
The spokesperson said it is not for her to say what the Pakistani government should do next.