The United States could consider ending a suspension of security assistance to Pakistan, if Islamabad takes "decisive and sustained" actions against militant groups in the country, the State Department's No. 2 official said.

The US State Department's third-ranking official, Tom Shannon, is stepping down from his post, the department said, becoming the latest senior diplomat to exit since President Donald Trump took office a year ago.

Visitors to the upmarket Intercontinental Hotel, which sits on a hilltop overlooking the Afghan capital, have described glaring security breaches before the assailants went on a bloody rampage targeting guests.

In its annual Country Report on Terrorism 2016, the US Department of State has praised the “full partnership” between the US and Qatar in the fight against terrorism, highlighting the public role of Doha in the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS.

The US State Department bluntly questioned on Tuesday the motives of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their boycott of Doha, saying it was "mystified" the Gulf states had not released their grievances over Qatar.

A judge ordered the US State Department on Monday to review for possible release 14,900 of Hillary Clinton's emails and attachments that the FBI found when investigating her use of a private email server as secretary of state.

More than 50 State Department diplomats have signed an internal memo sharply critical of US policy in Syria, calling for military strikes against President Bashar al-Assad's government.

"Top secret" material was sent through Hillary Clinton's private email server during her tenure as secretary of state, it was revealed Friday, just days before voters cast their first ballots in the presidential campaign.