Washington, Jan 11 (PTI) The Pentagon on Tuesday said there is no surprise that terrorist organisations exist within Afghanistan but the US maintains over-the-horizon capabilities when it comes to counter-terrorism actions in the central Asian country.

"We have known for a long time that there are terrorist organizations that exist within Afghanistan and throughout the region, and that's certainly a surprise to no one," Pentagon Press Secretary General Pat Ryder told reporters at a news conference here.

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"From a United States standpoint, as we've said before, we do maintain an over-the-horizon capability when it comes to counter-terrorism, and so that is something that we will continue to maintain and sustain in defence of our own homeland," he said in response to a question.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)