Taliban ‘suicide squad’ on standby after Pakistan airstrikes, claims Afghan state media
PTC Web Desk: Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have sharply escalated after Pakistani forces carried out air and ground strikes on what Islamabad described as Taliban government targets in several Afghan cities. Pakistan has termed the situation an “open war” following the latest round of cross-border clashes.
According to Pakistan’s state broadcaster PTV News, the military targeted Taliban posts, headquarters and ammunition depots in different sectors along the border. A television report claimed that Afghan Taliban fighters raised white flags after what it called a strong response from Pakistan’s armed forces.
However, Afghan media presented a very different picture. The Bakhtar News Agency, a state-run outlet based in Nangarhar, released an image it said showed a unit of suicide attackers ready for action. Quoting an Afghan security source, the agency said the attackers were equipped with explosive vests and car bombs and were prepared to hit major targets.
Taliban deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said intense offensive and retaliatory operations were underway along the Durand Line,the disputed border between the two countries, particularly in Paktia, Paktika and Khost provinces.
Both sides have claimed heavy casualties but their figures differ sharply and could not be independently verified. Pakistan said 133 Taliban fighters were killed, over 200 injured, 27 posts destroyed and nine captured. The Taliban, on the other hand, claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 posts seized. They also said eight Afghan fighters were killed, 11 injured and 13 civilians hurt in Nangarhar.
Pakistan also said its air force jets were patrolling the skies over Kandahar after conducting strikes on Taliban targets. Security sources were quoted as saying the armed forces were fully prepared to respond to any further aggression.
The war of words intensified after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif declared that Islamabad’s “patience has run out,” describing the situation as open war with the Taliban government.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces had carried out air strikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.
Videos shared by Pakistani officials showed heavy firing along the border at night, flashes of artillery and smoke rising from strike sites. One clip showed thick black smoke over parts of Kabul, while another showed a building on fire in Paktia, which Pakistan claimed was a Taliban headquarters.
A Pakistani government spokesperson, Mosharraf Zaidi, said on social media that the counter-strikes were a response to what he described as unprovoked Afghan attacks.
The latest escalation comes days after Pakistan launched strikes that it said targeted camps of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State militants in eastern Afghanistan. Islamabad has long accused Kabul of allowing anti-Pakistan militants to operate from its soil — a charge the Taliban deny, saying Pakistan’s security problems are internal.
Clashes broke out again on Thursday night after the Taliban launched what they called retaliatory attacks on Pakistani military positions. Both sides have since claimed to have destroyed several border posts, raising fears of a prolonged conflict along the 2,600-km frontier shared by the two neighbours.
- With inputs from agencies
