Overview
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting that Washington has heard Pakistan’s worries that terrorist attacks are being sponsored from Afghan territory and said the U.S. does not want Pakistan to be targeted by terrorism.
- Pakistan’s information ministry reiterated that it will not tolerate militant sanctuaries across the Afghan border and said it reserves the right to take necessary measures under international law to protect national security.
- Pakistani state media and officials reported retaliatory strikes on Taliban border posts after alleged cross-border firing in the Angoor Adda area, while Afghanistan’s defence ministry accused Pakistan of carrying out drone strikes in Paktika and said Afghan forces had responded.
- Claims of Taliban casualties, Pakistani military casualties, and civilian deaths and damage have been made by both sides but remain incompletely verified by independent sources.
- The clash revives long-standing tensions along the porous Durand Line where militant groups have moved across borders before, and the U.S. acknowledgment raises the risk of greater international scrutiny and possible escalation if facts are not independently clarified.