Afghanistan’s Taliban government vowed retaliation after accusing Pakistan of killing several people in recent airstrikes.
The Pakistani air force carried out air and drone strikes against the border provinces of Khost, Kunar, and Paktika, according to Afghanistan, allegedly killing 10 people. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that nine of those killed were children.
“The Pakistani invading forces bombed the house of a local civilian resident,” he said. “As a result, nine children (five boys and four girls) and one woman were martyred” in Khost province, with four being wounded elsewhere.
“The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns this violation and reiterates that defending its airspace, territory, and people is its legitimate right, and it will respond appropriately at the right time,” Mujahid said in another statement.
Pakistan denies carrying out any strikes against Afghanistan. Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said, “Whenever Pakistan attacks someone, it announces it,” Dawn reported.
Despite this, Chaundhry couched the denial with belligerent rhetoric against the Taliban. “In our view, there are no good and bad Taliban,” he said, adding that there was “no distinction” between terrorists.
“The Taliban government should make decisions as a state, not as non-state actors,” Chaundhry added.
He also claimed a recent terrorist attack against the Frontier Constabulary headquarters in the province of Peshawar was launched from Afghanistan, and that the terrorists were “Indian proxies.”
On Tuesday, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif left nothing ambiguous about Islamabad’s hostility toward the Taliban, saying the government was writing off the group completely.
“Both things are non-existent at this time,” he responded when asked on the Geo News show Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath whether any strikes had been carried out against Afghanistan. “We do react and retaliate, but [targeting] civilians is not at all our manner. We have a disciplined force that has traditions and a code of conduct; we are not a ragtag group like the Taliban, who neither have a code of conduct nor religion nor traditions.”
“But you know, hope should always be present unless all limits are crossed. But today, we are completely writing them off, and we have no good hope from them,” Asif added.
A statement from the Taliban arguing that it had a right to retaliate according to Islamic law enraged the defense minister. He bemoaned that Afghanistan hadn’t properly shown appreciation for Pakistan hosting millions of Afghan refugees.
“Is this some self-invented Shariah of their own? This is not the Shariah of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him),” he said.
Asif further ruled out any trade negotiations with Afghanistan, saying it could try to negotiate with India instead. He also dismissed the Taliban’s threat of retaliation, saying, “There will be no greater idiocy than trusting them.”
PAKISTAN BLAMES INDIA AND AFGHANISTAN FOR TERRORIST ATTACKS THAT ROCKED COUNTRY AS TENSIONS ESCALATE
Pakistan and the Taliban, once allies, have seen their relationship deteriorate into outright hostility since the terrorist group seized Kabul in August 2021. Relations reached a new low this year, as Islamabad’s accusations that the Taliban were hosting Pakistani terrorist groups led to airstrikes against Kabul on Oct. 9. After a ceasefire later that month, fighting broke out once again in early November following a suicide bombing in Islamabad. The most recent alleged airstrikes from the Pakistani air force appear to have been in retaliation for the suicide attack against the FC headquarters, killing three FC personnel.
The entire country has been on high alert since several major terrorist attacks from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, with Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Dr. Mian Saeed Ahmad crediting the state of high alert for limiting the death toll to three people in the FC attack.