Afghan Taliban say issues with Pakistan can be resolved through diplomacy

KABUL: Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Monday that problems affecting relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan could be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, as tensions between the neighbours have escalated following a series of Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan.

“Instead of seeking political understanding, Pakistan uses only military language in relations with Afghanistan and has carried out aggression in violation of international laws,” Muttaqi said at an event in Russia.

Muttaqi claimed that Pakistan had turned transit routes, refugees and students into instruments of pressure and had gathered thousands of armed men near the border to challenge stability.

“Afghanistan neither wants problems with Pakistan to become a field of mutual accusations and propaganda, nor seeks new means of prolonging it,” he said.

But Kabul considers self-defence against any aggression to be its “legitimate and undeniable right”, he added.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry, military and Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

The comments came as tensions between the two countries have sharply deteriorated in recent weeks, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban government of allowing the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan soil and carry out attacks in Pakistan.

The Taliban government denies sheltering the TTP and says militancy in Pakistan is an internal matter.

Pakistan carries out strikes inside Afghanistan

Pakistan has carried out several rounds of airstrikes against what it says are militant hideouts and terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan in recent weeks.

On October 1, Pakistan said it conducted “well-planned and calibrated” airstrikes at two locations in Afghanistan, targeting hideouts and safe havens of terrorist organisations.

The Information Ministry said initial reports indicated that 22 terrorists had been killed. Afghanistan, however, said the strikes in Kunar and Helmand provinces killed civilians, including women and children.

The October strikes followed a broader escalation in September.

On September 24, Pakistan said it carried out precision aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations in Afghanistan, including in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost, in response to drone attacks launched from Afghan territory.

Islamabad said the targets were directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan. Afghan authorities said four civilians were killed.

Earlier, on September 21, Pakistan carried out airstrikes against what it described as terrorist camps and hideouts in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Paktika provinces.

Islamabad said 28 militants were killed, while Afghan authorities reported civilian casualties. The strikes came after deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan has said its operations were based on credible intelligence and targeted militant camps, hideouts and other infrastructure used by groups responsible for attacks inside the country.

Islamabad has repeatedly called on Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries, particularly those linked to the TTP.

The Taliban government has rejected Pakistan’s accusations and has instead condemned the strikes as violations of Afghan sovereignty.

The two sides have also exchanged accusations over cross-border drone attacks, shelling and militant infiltration.

The dispute over the TTP has been a central source of tension since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan says attacks by the TTP have increased and that the group has found sanctuary in Afghanistan, while Kabul denies the accusation