US acknowledges Pakistan's concerns over cross-border terrorism from Afghanistan

• Rubio says Pakistan concerned about terrorist attacks from Afghan territory
• Says Islamabad believes Afghan Taliban failed to prevent terrorism.
• Islamabad says Kabul's inaction remains main obstacle to better ties.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged Pakistan’s concerns over terrorist attacks originating from Afghan territory, saying Washington does not want Pakistan to become a target of terrorism.

Speaking in Atlanta on Saturday at the conclusion of the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio said Pakistan was concerned about attacks being carried out from Afghanistan and believed the Afghan Taliban had failed to take sufficient action to prevent them.

"Pakistan is concerned about terrorist attacks that are being sponsored from the territory of Afghanistan. They feel that the Taliban is not doing enough to constrain those attacks, and they've taken action against it," Rubio said.

"We obviously have heard those concerns on their part. We obviously don't want them to be targeted by terrorism," he added.

Rubio’s remarks came as Islamabad renewed its criticism of the Afghan Taliban regime over what it described as Kabul’s failure to address terrorist activity originating from Afghan soil.

In a statement on Saturday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting rejected remarks by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, accusing the leadership of shifting blame to Islamabad while ignoring what it called the central issue undermining bilateral relations: terrorism emanating from Afghanistan.

The ministry said Pakistan would not tolerate terrorist sanctuaries across the border and reserved the right to take all necessary measures under international law to eliminate threats to its national security.

It described the Taliban regime’s continued refusal to address terrorism as the principal obstacle to normal relations, saying Pakistan’s security would not be held hostage to the regime’s "inaction, evasions or misplaced priorities".

Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to take verifiable action against militant groups, particularly the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which Pakistani officials accuse of operating from Afghan territory. The Taliban authorities have denied allowing militants to use Afghanistan as a base for attacks against Pakistan.