By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it supported Pakistan's "right to defend itself" against attacks from Afghanistan's Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier in the day that the neighboring countries were in "open war."
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers had said on Friday they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.
"The United States supports Pakistan's right to defend itself against attacks from the Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior to Afghanistan's. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with U.S.-led forces, before returning to power in 2021 when Washington withdrew chaotically.
Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of Washington. The U.S. considers the Afghan Taliban to be a "terrorist" group.
The latest violence erupted after Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, escalating long‑simmering tensions over Pakistan's claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistani Taliban militants. Afghanistan denies this and argues Pakistan is deflecting blame for its own security failures.
The State Department spokesperson said Washington was aware of the escalation in tensions and "outbreak of fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban," adding the U.S. was "saddened by the loss of life."
Both sides reported heavy losses in the fighting, which Pakistan's Defense Minister Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said amounted to an "open war".
"The Taliban have consistently failed to uphold their counterterrorism commitments," the State Department said, adding that "terrorist groups use Afghanistan as a launching pad for their heinous attacks."
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell)
