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

WASHINGTON — The United States on Thursday reaffirmed its support for Pakistan's right to defend itself against terrorist attacks as intermittent clashes between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan continue.

"The Pakistani people have suffered greatly at the hands of terrorists," the U.S. State Department said.

The latest tensions follow the worst fighting between the two former allies in years. According to the United Nations, at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others were injured in Pakistani airstrikes along the Afghanistan border earlier this week.

Afghanistan's Taliban government later said it carried out airstrikes inside Pakistani territory. Islamabad, meanwhile, said its forces intercepted and shot down four rudimentary drones in the resource-rich southern province of Balochistan.

Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation, has significantly stronger conventional military capabilities than Afghanistan. However, the Afghan Taliban have extensive experience in guerrilla warfare after decades of fighting U.S.-led forces before returning to power in 2021 following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Pakistan remains a major non-NATO ally of the United States, and relations between Washington and Islamabad have improved since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. Pakistan has also served as a mediator in efforts to resolve the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Washington continues to designate the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist group.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants responsible for planning attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban deny the allegations, insisting that militancy is Pakistan's internal security issue and accusing Islamabad of shifting blame for its own security challenges. -Reporting by Kanishka Singh in WashingtonEditing by Rod Nickel/Reuters