US affirms Pakistan’s right to defend itself after Afghanistan strikes
Pakistan continues air strikes on Afghanistan, backed by US, as cross-border tensions rise and Taliban urges dialogue.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan – (Web Desk) – Pakistan’s air strikes on Afghanistan have received diplomatic backing from Washington, as Islamabad said on Saturday it would continue its military operations.
Pakistan claims the Afghan government is supporting militant groups, while the Taliban has denied these allegations and urged dialogue to resolve the conflict, which Pakistan’s defence minister recently described as “open war.”
The cross-border tensions have been escalating for months, with intermittent clashes between the two countries’ forces. In response to an Afghan offensive on Thursday night, Pakistan launched air strikes early on Friday morning.
According to Pakistan’s information minister, 37 sites across Afghanistan have been targeted since the operation began. While it is unclear if strikes occurred on Friday night, authorities indicated that operations are ongoing.
Spoke today with Pakistan Foreign Secretary Baloch to express condolences for lives lost in the recent conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban. We continue to monitor the situation closely and expressed support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks.
— Allison M. Hooker (@UnderSecStateP) February 27, 2026
“Pakistan’s immediate and effective response to aggression continues,” Mosharraf Zaidi, a spokesman for Pakistan’s prime minister, posted on X late on Friday.
The United States “expressed support for Pakistan’s right to defend itself against Taliban attacks,” Allison Hooker, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, wrote on X after talks with her Pakistani counterpart.
The operation was Pakistan’s most widespread bombardment of the Afghan capital Kabul and its first air strikes on the city of Kandahar, the southern power base of the Taliban’s supreme leader since they returned to power in 2021.
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Zaidi did not confirm whether Pakistan had carried out air strikes overnight between Friday and Saturday.
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