ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States will not step into the situation between Pakistan and Afghanistan, while praising Pakistan’s leadership and bilateral ties.
Responding to a question about whether Washington would intervene in a possible conflict involving Pakistan, Trump said he has “very good relations” with the country.
“Well, I would, but I get along with Pakistan, as you know, very well — very, very well,” he told reporters.
The US president described Pakistan’s prime minister and military leadership in positive terms, saying he has “a lot of respect” for them.
“You have a great prime minister [Shehbaz Sharif], you have a great general [Field Marshal Asim Munir] there, you have a great leader — two of the people that I really respect a lot,” Trump said, adding that he believes Pakistan is “doing terrifically well.”
His remarks came amid heightened tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, where security incidents have raised concerns about further escalation.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said late on Friday that 297 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed and more than 450 were injured in retaliatory military strikes across Afghanistan.
In a post on the social media platform X, Tarar said the action was carried out under Operation Ghazb lil Haq and involved precision air and ground strikes at 29 locations in Afghanistan.
The information minister said 89 Taliban check posts were destroyed, 18 captured, and 135 tanks and armed vehicles eliminated during the operation.
