Taliban claims 58 Pakistani soldiers killed in border clash
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Kabul: The Taliban regime claimed on Sunday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded during a retaliatory operation carried out by Afghan forces along the Durand Line. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that 20 Pakistani security outposts were destroyed and several weapons were seized during the operation on Saturday night.
“Nine Afghan soldiers were also martyred and 16 others wounded, while 20 Pakistani security outposts were destroyed,” Mujahid stated. The military action was reportedly halted at midnight following requests from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to Afghanistan-based Tolo News.
Mujahid further claimed that after the defeat of ISIS-K in Afghanistan, the group began establishing bases in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with trainees being brought through Karachi and Islamabad airports. He alleged that recent ISIS-K attacks in Iran and Moscow were orchestrated from these bases and urged the Pakistani government to hand over key ISIS-K members to Kabul.
The Taliban spokesperson said Pakistan had requested to send a delegation to Afghanistan, but the request was rejected in response to Pakistan’s airstrikes on Thursday night (October 9).
Following the airstrikes on Kabul and Paktika, the Taliban-led Ministry of Defence condemned Pakistan, calling the strikes a “violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.” Ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi described the attack as “an unprecedented, violent, and hateful act in the history of Afghanistan and Pakistan” and emphasised that defending Afghanistan’s sovereignty is a right.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, currently on a visit to India, also issued a stern warning to Pakistan. Cautioning Islamabad against blaming Kabul for its internal problems, he said, “We consider Pakistan’s actions a big mistake. Such problems cannot be solved through force. History has shown that pressure and violence never succeed in Afghanistan. We have opened the door to dialogue and understanding; this mistake must not be repeated. Do not test the patience of Afghans; if you do, ask the British, Russians, Americans, and NATO how playing with Afghanistan ends.”
The retaliatory operation by Afghan forces followed Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory and comes amid rising tensions along the disputed Durand Line.
With IANS inputs