Trump says US won’t intervene in Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, cites “very good” ties

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Washington will not intervene in the conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, despite acknowledging that the United States could step in if it chose to.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he maintains “very good relations” with Pakistan and praised Pakistan’s leadership, saying he has respect for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Asim Munir.

His comments came as fighting continued along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan has said the two neighbours entered an “open war” after unprovoked firing across multiple sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Islamabad says its retaliatory operation, named Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeted Afghan Taliban posts and involved air strikes in several Afghan locations.

Separately, the United States said it supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against attacks from Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities, which Washington described as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group. A State Department spokesperson said the U.S. is aware of the escalation, expressed sorrow over the loss of life, and reiterated that militant groups continue to use Afghan territory as a base for attacks.

The latest spike in tensions follows a series of attacks in Pakistan that Islamabad says were linked to militants operating from Afghanistan, as well as previous ceasefire efforts mediated by Qatar and Türkiye that failed to resolve Pakistan’s core concerns about cross-border militancy.

Related post: