WASHINGTON: US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday 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.

“We need to try one more time to make this strategy work with them, by, with and through the Pakistanis, and if our best efforts fail, the President is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary,” Mattis said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing.

Reuters first reported that possible Trump administration responses being discussed include expanding U.S. drone strikes and perhaps eventually downgrading Pakistan’s status as a major non-NATO ally.

When asked by a lawmaker whether revoking of Pakistan’s major non-NATO ally was amongst the options being considered to deal with Islamabad, Mattis said: “I am sure it will be.”

In a separate Senate hearing on Tuesday, the top US military officer said he believed the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) directorate, had ties to militant groups.

“It is clear to me that the ISI has connections with terrorist groups,” Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The Pakistan embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.—Reuters