Pakistan says it’s in ‘open war’ with Afghanistan, launches strikes on Kabul
Pakistan has said it is now in open war with Afghanistan after launching strikes on major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, including the capital Kabul.
The Pakistani Defense Minister said his country has run out of “patience” saying there is now an “open war” between both countries.
Deadly Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas on Sunday resulted in retaliatory strikes on Pakistani border troops by Afghan Taliban forces on Thursday night.
In an X post on Friday, Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces.
He noted that instead of the Taliban to focus on the welfare of Afghans and regional stability, they have turned Afghanistan into a colony of India, and also exporting terrorism.
“Now it’s an open war between us. Now there will be chaos and reckoning,” he said.
Though India has consistently denied it, there have been several allegations against them by the Pakistani Government, accusing India of backing the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan had also accused Afghanistan of not taking drastic measures against militant groups that carry out attacks in Pakistan, which the Taliban government denies. Negotiations and peace talks brokered by Qatar and Turkey have been unfruitful.
Soldiers have been lost on both sides from border violence. There have been Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan and a series of deadly suicide blasts in Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months.
Pakistan launched a crackdown in October 2023 to expel migrants without documents, while urging illegal migrants to leave willingly or face forcible expulsion.
While nearly 80,000 have returned so far this year, The UN refugee agency said 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan last year alone.
