The United States supports Pakistan's sovereign right to defend itself against terrorist attacks, the State Department announced, amidst ongoing intermittent conflict between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.
"The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists," the State Department added in its statement. This declaration comes after a period of heightened tensions and exchanges between the two nations.
In February, the two former allies engaged in their most significant confrontation in years. The United Nations reported that at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 injured in airstrikes conducted by Pakistan along the Afghan border. Subsequently, Afghanistan's Taliban claimed responsibility for launching airstrikes into Pakistani territory. Pakistan's military also reported intercepting and shooting down four rudimentary drones in the southern province of Balochistan.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation, possesses vastly superior military capabilities compared to Afghanistan. However, the Afghan Taliban, who govern Afghanistan, are seasoned in guerrilla warfare, having fought U.S.-led forces for decades before returning to power in 2021 following Washington's withdrawal.
Pakistan holds the status of a major non-NATO ally to Washington, and relations between the two countries have seen improvement. Islamabad has also played a role as a mediator in efforts to resolve conflicts involving Iran. Washington officially designates the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist group.
The ongoing dispute centers on Islamabad's accusations that Afghanistan harbors militants responsible for planning attacks within Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban deny these allegations, asserting that militancy is an internal Pakistani issue and that Islamabad is deflecting blame for its own security failures.
