Pakistan’s president says Afghan Taliban forces crossed a ‘red line’ with drone attacks on civilians
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s president on Saturday called out neighboring Afghanistan’s Taliban government for ” I crossed the red line He said the administration in Kabul was “bringing grave consequences upon itself” by carrying out drone attacks on civilian areas in Pakistan.
Asif Ali Zardari’s statement was the latest in the deadliest clash ever between the two neighbours. The cross-border clashes that broke out late last month show no signs of abating. Efforts of China and Türkiye brokering a ceasefire.
Pakistan said its forces intercepted the drones launched on Friday but falling debris injured two children in Quetta city and two people elsewhere in the country.
The Afghan Taliban government on Friday accused Pakistan of launching airstrikes on the country’s capital, Kabul, and other areas in eastern Afghanistan, saying at least six civilians were killed and 15 others were injured.
Hours later, Kabul claimed its air force had responded by targeting military facilities near the Pakistani capital Islamabad and in northwestern Pakistan.
Pakistan has denied targeting civilians, saying its operations are focused on Pakistani Taliban militants and their support networks. Islamabad described the conflict as follows: “open war” – Increases the international community’s concerns about regional stability US-Israel’s war with Iran It has gripped the Middle East and beyond.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani planes also hit fuel depots belonging to private airline Kam Air near the airport in the southern city of Kandahar, which he said supports civilian and UN flights.
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban government of harboring Pakistani militant groups (particularly the Pakistani Taliban) who cross the volatile border between the two countries to launch attacks on Pakistani forces, while also allying with its arch-rival India. Kabul denies hosting militant groups.
On Friday, a roadside bomb targeting Pakistani police killed seven police officers in the northwestern Lakki Mawat district.
Zardari criticized the government in Kabul.
“The Afghan terrorist regime crossed the red line by trying to target our civilians while seeking negotiations with our friendly countries,” he said.
Defense forces along the border in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar captured a Pakistani outpost and killed 14 Pakistani soldiers, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said the claim was false.
Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesman for Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said that the Afghan Taliban spent more time spinning fantasies than getting rid of “terrorist organizations that benefit from the hospitality of the Afghan Taliban regime.”
In a post on X, he said that propaganda will not force Pakistan to end its counter-terrorism operations. “Only from Afghan lands to Pakistan will there be an end to terrorism,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a peaceful resolution to the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict on Friday, warning that the use of force would escalate tensions and threaten regional stability. Wang’s remarks were reported by China’s official Xinhua News Agency on Saturday in a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Wang said China’s special envoy had been shuttling between the two countries to encourage restraint and encourage a ceasefire. Muttaki stated that Afghanistan wants regional peace and does not want military conflict, saying that dialogue remains the only solution and called on China to play a greater role.
A. October ceasefire brokered by Qatar briefly eased tensionsHowever, a permanent agreement could not be reached in subsequent negotiations in Türkiye.
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Qahar reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
