ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday held the first telephonic conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the two top diplomats agreed on the need to resolve the issue of military equipment left behind in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US forces.
According Io a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO), Dar held the call and discussed bilateral relations, regional security and economic cooperation with his US counterpart
The country has been reeling under increased terrorist attacks targeting law enforcers and security forces since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021 following the withdrawal of US forces.
Pakistan witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.
According to a report by the US Department of Defence in 2022, the US left behind $7 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan which was quickly seized by Taliban fighters as they swept the country.
The US forces tried to dismantle or destroy as much of their machinery as they could in the last weeks of their chaotic pull-out. However, huge amounts still fell to the Taliban in August 2021.
