Taliban Announces End of Military Operation Against Pakistan

SadaNews - The operation launched on Saturday by the Taliban authorities against Pakistan along the shared border between the two countries "in response to airstrikes on Kabul" attributed to Islamabad has ended, as reported by the Ministry of Defense in the Taliban government to the French News Agency.

Defense Ministry spokesman Inayatullah Khwarazmi said, "This evening, the armed forces of the Islamic Emirate successfully carried out operations against Pakistani security forces along the Durand Line, in response to repeated violations and airstrikes targeting Afghan territory initiated by the Pakistani army."

He added, "This operation ended at midnight, but if Afghan territory is violated again, our armed forces are prepared to respond and act decisively."

Earlier, local officials in Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Khost, and Helmand, all provinces located along the Durand Line that forms the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, reported to the French News Agency that "intense clashes" occurred.

A senior official in Peshawar in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, told the French News Agency that "Taliban forces began this evening using light weapons and then heavy artillery at four sites along the border."

He added, "Pakistani forces responded with heavy gunfire and shot down three Afghan drones suspected of carrying explosives."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan on Saturday to "exercise restraint" amidst the outbreak of clashes between the two countries.

Araghchi said in a live television interview, "Our position is that both sides should exercise restraint," noting that "stability" between the two countries "contributes to the stability of the region."

The Saudi Foreign Ministry also called for "restraint and avoiding escalation and favoring dialogue and wisdom in what contributes to reducing tensions and maintaining security and stability in the region."

The escalation began on Thursday following the sound of two explosions in the Afghan capital and a third explosion in the southeast of the country.

On Friday, the Taliban government’s Ministry of Defense held Pakistan responsible for these attacks, accusing the neighboring state of "violating its sovereignty."

Islamabad did not confirm its role in these explosions but called on Kabul to "stop harboring elements from the Pakistani Taliban."

Islamabad accuses the Pakistani Taliban, which adheres to the same ideology as its counterpart in Afghanistan where they trained for combat, of causing the deaths of hundreds of soldiers since 2021.

In recent months, the Pakistani Taliban has intensified violence against Pakistani security forces in mountainous areas adjacent to Afghanistan.

Islamabad believes that the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul in the summer of 2021 led to an escalation in hostilities.

Kabul denies these accusations, instead accusing Islamabad of assisting "terrorist" groups, particularly the Islamic State.

A UN report earlier this year stated that the Pakistani Taliban "receives significant logistical and operational support from the de facto authorities," referring to the Taliban government in Kabul.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated before Parliament on Thursday that numerous efforts to convince the Afghan Taliban authorities to stop supporting the Pakistani Taliban have failed.

Asif said, "We will not tolerate this any longer," calling for "unity in responding to those who facilitate them, whether they are hideouts on our land or in Afghan territory."

He warned that any response may cause collateral damage and stated, "Everyone must bear the consequences, including those who provide refuge to them."

The year 2024 has been the worst in terms of human casualties due to violence related to extremist groups in Pakistan in nearly a decade, with over 1600 people killed, mostly soldiers.