The US will take unilateral steps in areas of divergence with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism, the Pentagon told US Congress yesterday. <br/><br/>It insisted that there must be fundamental change in the way Islamabad deals with terrorist safe havens on its territory.<br/>'<br/>The Pentagon in its report to the Congress titled 'Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan said it will be a part of a whole-of-government, regional strategy to isolate the Taliban from sources of external support and to mitigate any malign influence from outside actors. <br/>'<br/>The Af-Pak border region remains a sanctuary for various terrorist groups. Although Pakistani military operations have disrupted some militant sanctuaries, certain extremist groups – such as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network – retain freedom of movement in Pakistan, it said. <br/><br/>Pentagon said, the trust deficit resulting from Pakistan's support of and inaction against Afghan-oriented extremists, and Pakistan's concerns about terrorist attacks launched from Afghanistan, hampers the bilateral military collaboration required to achieve enduring security. <br/><br/>Under the new strategy, US diplomatic, military, and economic resources are aligned in support of a negotiated settlement to this long-running war.This is the first report of the Pentagon to Congress after President Donald Trump announced his new Afghan and South Asia policy in August.