The Afghan Taliban regime has strongly protested against air strikes by Pakistani jets near the Pak-Afghan border, terming it a violation of Afghanistan’s territorial sovereignty. In a statement on Wednesday, Kabul’s foreign ministry confirmed that Pakistan’s charge d’affaires had been summoned, and a protest note was handed over regarding the incident in Paktika province, close to the Durand Line.
The Afghan government condemned the attack, which reportedly targeted the Bermal district, killing both civilians and refugees. The casualties were said to include women, children, and refugees from Pakistan’s Waziristan tribal region who referred to it as a breach of trust.
The silence from Pakistan’s Foreign Office and military on the issue notwithstanding, security sources have said that the air strikes were at “terrorist hideouts,” killing more than 20 militants. According to officials, the strikes were in response to recent attacks in South Waziristan, where 16 Pakistani paramilitary personnel were killed in an assault by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
In this regard, though the tension prevails, Pakistan’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq, remained busy by holding diplomatic talks in Kabul. He held meetings with Afghan senior officials, including the interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, and talked over issues of mutual cooperation and security concerns.
However, the air strikes strained the previously fragile relations between the two neighbors as Pakistan has accused the Afghan Taliban of sheltering the TTP militants who have been carrying out their attacks along the cross-border frontier. Afghanistan has, however, denied harboring such groups.
This rise is due to long-pending issues in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations in which both countries are being subjected to growing attacks and increasing mistrust. However, it will still be critical that diplomatic talks are intensified for dealing with security-related issues and establishing regional stability.
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