US backs Pakistan’s right to defend itself as tensions with Afghanistan escalate

The United States has said it supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against terrorist attacks as tensions between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan continue to flare, according to the U.S. State Department.

“The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists,” the State Department said on June 2, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media. 

The statement comes amid ongoing cross-border violence between the two countries, which were former allies but have recently experienced their most serious clashes in years. Fighting intensified in February, with both sides reporting strikes and counterstrikes across the border.

The United Nations said on June 29 that at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in Pakistani airstrikes along the Afghanistan border. Later in the week, Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities said they carried out retaliatory airstrikes inside Pakistani territory, while Islamabad said its forces intercepted and shot down four rudimentary drones in the southern province of Balochistan.

Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state and a major non-NATO ally of Washington, maintains a significant military advantage over Afghanistan. However, the Taliban government, which returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, is considered experienced in guerrilla warfare after decades of conflict.

Relations between Washington and Islamabad have improved since President Donald Trump returned to office, with Pakistan also playing a role in diplomatic efforts related to broader regional conflicts, including mediation attempts involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran.

By Sabina Mammadli