High-value arrest elicits Trump’s rare praise for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

President Donald Trump on Tuesday night praised Pakistan for helping the United States in capturing the alleged mastermind of the August 2021 Kabul Airport attack that killed 13 American servicemen, besides 170 others.

“Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” he told the US Congress.

“And I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster,” Trump added much to the surprise of many who thought Pakistan no longer remains relevant in Washington.

Hours before President Trump’s speech, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar received a call from US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz.

“The NSA conveyed President Trump’s appreciation and thanks for the Government of Pakistan’s efforts in countering terrorism,” read a statement issued on Wednesday by the Foreign Office.

It said the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister congratulated the NSA on his assumption of office and reiterated that Pakistan looked forward to building on its longstanding and broad-based relationship with the United States under President Trump and his administration.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue its cooperation with the US in the field of counter terrorism. He also appreciated President Trump’s announcement to withdraw the US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan.

The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation in IT, energy and mineral sectors. They also agreed on the need to have continued dialogues on trade, investment, climate change and health as part of a broad-based agenda in the days to come.

This was the first high-level contact between Pakistan and the US since President Trump took office.

But the intelligence chiefs of Pakistan and the US were in contact with each other over the past few weeks.

Trump had instructed CIA Director John Ratcliffe to bring to justice the perpetrators and mastermind of the Abbey Gate terrorist attack.

A day after his confirmation from the Senate, the new CIA Chief picked up the secure line and spoke to ISI Chief Lt General Asim Malik. The CIA Director sought Pakistan’s help in capturing Muhammad Shareefullah also known as Jaffer. Both spy chiefs reportedly also met and discussed progress at the sidelines of Munich Security Conference last month.

AXIOS, a US website, reported that the CIA had been monitoring Sharifullah for some time but in recent days it received specific intelligence about his location.

The CIA provided the information to the Pakistani intelligence agency, which sent an elite unit that captured him near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, the officials said.

When the Pakistani top spy agency arrested the alleged mastermind of August 2021 Kabul airport attack a few days ago, it was to make a major decision—whether to announce the capture or let the US do the needful.

After in-house consultations, the Pakistani authorities decided to notify the Trump administration about the high-value target and leave it to Washington to announce Muhammad Shareefullah’s capture, one of the top commanders of Daesh.

Pakistan thought the US government might announce the big news through the White House spokesperson. However, it never knew that President Donald Trump would make the announcement in his first address to US Congress.

More importantly, he would publically acknowledge Pakistan’s role in helping the US in tracking down one of Americas most wanted terrorists.

Pakistan’s gamble of letting the US administration make the announcement has paid off. In his first few weeks in the White House, Trump has castigated both friends and foes. But in his address to the US Congress, Trump did praise Pakistan, something that was a surprise for many.

A senior official told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that it was President Trump who himself decided to make mention of Pakistan since he thought it was a big catch and Pakistan “deserves the credit.”

Pakistan was nervous about what President Trump would bring to the table for the country in his second term. His public appreciation of Pakistan has settled some nerves in Islamabad.