Kabul
The Taliban regime on Sunday claimed that at least 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded during a retaliatory operation carried out by Afghan forces along the disputed Durand Line, escalating tensions between the two neighbours.
According to Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, the overnight operation led to the destruction of 20 Pakistani security outposts and the seizure of several weapons. Nine Afghan soldiers were also martyred and 16 others wounded, he said, adding that the fighting ceased at midnight following intervention requests from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Mujahid alleged that Pakistan has become a new hub for ISIS-K militants after the group’s defeat in Afghanistan. Training centres for ISIS-K have been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and trainees are being brought there through Karachi and Islamabad airports. Our findings show that the attacks in Iran and Moscow were orchestrated from these centres, he claimed, urging Islamabad to hand over key ISIS-K members to Kabul.
He also revealed that Pakistan’s request to send a delegation to Afghanistan was rejected in response to Thursday night’s airstrikes on Kabul and Paktika, which the Taliban condemned as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
Afghan Defence Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi described the strikes as an unprecedented, violent, and hateful act, asserting that defending Afghan territory is a legitimate right.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, currently visiting India, cautioned Pakistan against further aggression, stating, Do not test the patience of Afghans; ask the British, Russians, Americans, and NATO how playing with Afghanistan ends.