The United States would try one more time to work with Pakistan in Afghanistan before President Donald Trump would turn to options to address Islamabad's alleged support for militant groups. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade. <br/><br/>While officials have long questioned the role Pakistan has played in Afghanistan, the comments by Mattis are likely to cause concern in Islamabad and within the Pakistan military.<br/> <br/>Mattis said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing that US need to try one more time to make this strategy work with Pakistan and if its best efforts fail, the President is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary. <br/>The United States in 2012 designated the Pakistan-based Haqqani network as a terrorist organization. <br/>