US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 31 October that Washington does not want Pakistan targeted by terrorism, while recognising Islamabad’s view that attacks are being launched from Afghan soil and that the Taliban have not done enough to stop them.
He spoke at a press availability in Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, answering a question about tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. Rubio said the United States had heard those concerns and would step in if it could play a “productive role.”
What Rubio said in Atlanta
A reporter asked how the US saw the regional strain and noted that Russia had moved to mediate. Rubio replied that Pakistan is concerned about terrorist attacks “sponsored from the territory of Afghanistan,” that Islamabad feels the Taliban have not done enough to constrain them, and that Pakistan has “taken action against it.”
“We obviously don’t want them to be targeted for terrorism,” he said. He added that if there is a productive role for the United States, “we would play it,” while noting that Washington does not “necessarily have the closest relationship with the Taliban.” He said the US had “seen some of those attacks that they point to” and that America is “against terrorism no matter where it emanates from and who it targets.”
The remarks amount to political backing for Pakistan’s position rather than a fresh operational pledge. Rubio did not announce a new US initiative and stressed that any role would depend on whether Washington can be useful.
Why the comments matter in Islamabad
The statement came from America’s top diplomat on a major international stage and tracks closely with the case Pakistan has pressed for more than a year: that banned groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) use Afghan territory to hit targets inside Pakistan. The TTP is a militant network outlawed in Pakistan.
The comments also followed, by less than a week, Rubio’s earlier remark that the US wants more influence over Pakistan—a sign that Islamabad has risen on Washington’s agenda even as ties with the Taliban remain thin.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- October last year: Qatar and Türkiye brokered a ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Doha; follow-up talks in Istanbul collapsed the next month.
- April this year: China hosted talks between the two sides in Urumqi; Saudi Arabia has also hosted discussions. None of these efforts settled the dispute over terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan.
- Earlier this year: Pakistan paused Operation Ghazab lil-Haq against Afghanistan, but cross-border strikes have continued since.
- 18 September: An attack in Kohat was followed by Pakistani strikes on Afghan territory on 24 September and again on 1 October.
- 5 October: The Moscow Format meeting on Afghanistan ended without a joint statement after the Pakistani and Afghan sides could not agree on wording about terrorist networks. Russia, which formally recognises the Taliban government, has offered to mediate if both sides ask.
- 31 October: Rubio addressed Pakistan–Taliban tensions after the G20 foreign ministers gathering in Atlanta.
Pakistan has said it is not avoiding dialogue, but that talks “will not be unconditional.”
Aasan alfaaz mein
Amreeki wazir-e-kharija Marco Rubio ne kaha hai ke America nahi chahta ke Pakistan dehshatgardi ka nishana bane. Unhon ne Pakistan ki yeh baat mani ke hamle Afghan zameen se ho rahe hain aur Taliban ne inko rokne ke liye kaafi nahi kiya. America madad tab dega jab uska koi asar-daar role ho; abhi koi naya qadam announce nahi hua. Aam logon ke liye yeh siyasi himayat hai, lekin border aur amn ki soorat ab bhi pehle jaisi tension wali hai.
