The United States has said that it has counterterrorism capabilities to protect its interest in Afghanistan and the region that does not leave it dependent on the Taliban, and ensure that Afghanistan doesn’t become a safe haven for launching terrorist attacks beyond its borders.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said this in his daily briefing on Wednesday.

“We demonstrated those capabilities in recent months with the killing of the now-deceased al-Qaida emir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, making good on the pledge that … we will take action if we see international terrorists regrouping in Afghanistan,” he said referring to the US strike in July that took out the man with a bounty of $25 million.

The spokesperson noted that Pakistan was an important partner in the region, with the two countries having strong bilateral ties including provision of grants for military education and training.

“It is, of course, our broader goal to see to it that terrorists and others aren’t able to use Afghanistan as a launch pad for attacks on Pakistan,” he continued. The US is committed to take on the threat of terrorism in the region, and certainly the threat of terrorism that extends well beyond the region, he added.

When asked about the appointment of Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan as the country’s foreing secretary, Price said that the US didn’t favour one candidate over another. Majeed is the man who wrote the cipher after his meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian AffairsDonald Lu that Imran Khan claimed as proof of a foriegn-funded conspiracy to oust him as prime minister.

“We have consistently refuted these false and scurrilous rumors. Our only interest is in the interest of the Pakistani people and Pakistan’s constitutional system.”