US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged Pakistan’s concerns over terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory, saying the United States opposes terrorism regardless of where it originates or whom it targets.
Speaking to reporters in Atlanta on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio said Washington had heard Islamabad’s concerns and was open to playing a constructive role in easing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“Pakistan is concerned about terrorist attacks that are being sponsored from the territory of Afghanistan. They feel as if the Taliban have not done enough to constrain those attacks, and they have taken action against it,” Rubio said.
He added that the United States did not want Pakistan to become a target of terrorism and had taken note of the attacks highlighted by Islamabad.
“We’re against terrorism no matter where it emanates from and who it targets,” the US secretary of state said, adding that Washington did not have particularly close relations with the Afghan Taliban authorities.
Rubio’s remarks represent a significant acknowledgment of Pakistan’s longstanding security concerns over terrorist networks operating from Afghanistan, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad accuses of using Afghan territory to plan and facilitate attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban regime to take concrete, verifiable and sustained action against terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil. Islamabad maintains that the failure to dismantle these networks remains the principal obstacle to normalizing relations with Kabul.
The United States’ acknowledgment comes amid persistent tensions between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban authorities, with Islamabad insisting that diplomatic engagement must be accompanied by practical action against cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan’s position is that the presence of terrorist sanctuaries across the border poses a direct threat to its national security and regional stability. The government has maintained that it cannot allow threats originating from Afghan territory to continue unchecked.
The Afghan Taliban, for their part, have rejected Pakistani accusations that their territory is being used to launch attacks against Pakistan.
Rubio’s statement does not amount to an explicit endorsement of all of Islamabad’s positions or a declaration of a new US policy toward the Afghan Taliban. However, his acknowledgment of Pakistan’s concerns and Washington’s stated opposition to terrorism regardless of its origin underline the importance the United States attaches to the issue.
For Pakistan, the challenge now is to translate this diplomatic acknowledgment into sustained international pressure for verifiable action against terrorist sanctuaries, rather than allowing the issue to remain confined to statements and intermittent mediation efforts.
