US supports Pakistan's right to defend itself against 'terrorist attacks'

The United States supports Pakistan's right to defend itself against what it terms "terrorist attacks," as tensions persist along the border with Afghanistan. The U.S. State Department acknowledged the significant suffering the Pakistani people have endured due to terrorism.

This statement comes amid an intermittent conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In February, the two former allies engaged in their most severe confrontation in years. The United Nations reported that Pakistani airstrikes on the Afghan border resulted in the deaths of at least 28 civilians and injured 49 others.

In response, Afghanistan's Taliban government stated they launched airstrikes into Pakistani territory. Pakistan, in turn, reported intercepting and shooting down four rudimentary drones in Balochistan, a resource-rich southern province. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation with superior military capabilities, faces a formidable adversary in the Afghan Taliban, who are hardened by decades of guerrilla warfare and returned to power in 2021.

Islamabad accuses Kabul of harboring militants responsible for attacks within Pakistan, allegations the Afghan Taliban deny. They characterize militancy as Pakistan's internal issue and suggest Pakistan is deflecting blame for its own security failures. Relations between Washington and Islamabad have seen improvement since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, with Pakistan being a major non-NATO ally and a past mediator in U.S.-Iran conflicts. Washington considers the Afghan Taliban a terrorist group.

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The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists.