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The United States has reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks as tensions continue to escalate between Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan.
“The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists,” the US State Department said on Thursday, adding that Washington “supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks.”
The statement comes amid an intermittent conflict between the two neighbouring countries that has intensified in recent months.
The two former allies fought their worst clashes in years in February. According to the United Nations, at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in Pakistani airstrikes along the Afghan border earlier this week.
The Afghan Taliban later said they carried out airstrikes inside Pakistani territory, while Islamabad said its forces intercepted and shot down four rudimentary drones in the resource-rich province of Balochistan.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation with a far stronger conventional military, faces an insurgency from militants it says operate from Afghan territory. The Afghan Taliban, who returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led forces, are experienced in guerrilla warfare.
Pakistan remains a major non-NATO ally of the United States, and bilateral ties have improved since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Islamabad has also played a mediating role in efforts to resolve the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Washington continues to designate the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist group.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering militants responsible for attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban administration denies the allegations, insisting that militancy is Pakistan’s internal problem and accusing Islamabad of shifting blame for its own security challenges.