US State Department terms Pakistan 'critical counter-terrorism partner'; says terrorism reduced in Pakistan after Zarb-e-Azb

WASHINGTON - The US State Department on Saturday in its annual report 'Country Reports on Terrorism 2014' has listed Pakistan as a critical counter-terrorism partner, 92 News reported. According to the report, the US congressionally mandated report issued in Washington said Pakistan is a constructive and active participant in Nuclear Security Summit process and the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. "Pakistan's ongoing offensive in North Waziristan has inflicted a serious blow on Al-Qa'ida. Pakistan's military conducted significant counterterrorism operations in North Waziristan and Khyber agencies," it said. US State Department said that terrorism has been curtailed in Pakistan to a visible extent. It also stated that Pakistan has emerged as a very important ally of US. Major trends in global terrorism in 2014 included the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL’s) unprecedented seizure of territory in Iraq and Syria, the continued flow of foreign terrorist fighters worldwide to join ISIL, and the rise of lone offender violent extremists in the West.