The Afghan Taliban has launched a wave of artillery strikes against Pakistani checkpoints across the border, raising fears of war between the neighbouring countries.
The Islamist group claimed to have destroyed “several” enemy positions and dispatched battalions of fighters to the border in anticipation of any response from Islamabad.
It followed Pakistani air strikes on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a separate group but close ally to the Afghan Taliban, in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan officials say the strikes killed 46 civilians, mainly women and children.
Islamabad covertly backed the Afghan Taliban against the US-led occupation of Afghanistan, seeking to put itself in a strong position in the war-torn region.
But it has also fought a decades-long campaign to crush the TTP, which routinely targets Pakistani soldiers in terrorist attacks.
Pakistani military leaders hoped that Islamabad’s sponsorship of the Afghan Taliban would lead to it co-operating, or at least standing aside, in its anti-TTP campaign.
But the Afghan Taliban has reportedly funnelled weapons seized from departing US troops to the TTP, which has drastically stepped up its attacks inside Pakistan since the fall of Kabul in 2021.
Taliban officials told The Telegraph they were ready for the conflict with Pakistan to escalate.
‘They cannot violate our sovereignty’
“The Mujahideen successfully attacked and destroyed several enemy positions and caused significant damage,” a senior Taliban defence ministry official said, referring to the strikes over the weekend.
“Several areas were targeted with artillery, and we have destroyed many of their checkpoints and equipment. They should know they cannot violate our sovereignty.”
“Several battalions have been dispatched to the border, and we are prepared for anything – we didn’t kick Nato out only to be intimidated or humiliated by Punjabis,” he said.
The official added that the Taliban was expecting a retaliatory assault, and the ministry of defence was on high alert, with additional forces set to be deployed to the border.
“We don’t care if they have a nuclear bomb – we have faith and know that God is with us,” he said.
Islamabad has accused Kabul of not doing enough to stop militants crossing the border, a claim the Afghan Taliban denies, saying it didn’t allow attacks on any country from Afghan territory.
On Sunday, Russia urged both sides to “show restraint” and resolve their disputes through “constructive dialogue”.
‘Escalation of tensions’
Maria Zakharova, a foreign ministry spokesman, said: “Moscow is worried about the escalation of tensions at the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
A Taliban interior ministry official told The Telegraph that Kabul was assessing its options if more attacks from Pakistan followed.
Social media accounts linked to the Taliban have posted videos showing troop movements in border areas.
One video shows several Soviet-era tanks, remnants of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan, loaded onto lorries and heading towards the border.
Another clip shows military vehicles left behind by Nato forces also reportedly moving in the same direction.
In its official statement, the Taliban said its forces struck several “points serving as centres and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organised and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan were targeted beyond the hypothetical line”, referring to the long-disputed border with Pakistan.
‘Many families have lost male members’
Pakistan said on Monday that one soldier was killed in the clashes, but the Taliban official claimed the casualties on the Pakistani side were “much higher” and declined to discuss Taliban casualties.
Afghan residents in the border towns said people have fled the area, fearing an all-out war.
“We are worried about returning to our homes and fear we might not be able to go back for a while if they go to war against each other,” Himatiullah, a resident of Khost province in Afghanistan, told The Telegraph.
“I left home with my family and am now staying with my cousin, but we cannot do this forever – we need to go back home,” he explained. “It’s cold here, and many children and families have lost male members.”
“Many have been injured, and some are in critical condition in the hospital. It’s calm today, but people are worried it could happen again. We fear the country will be at war once more,” Himatiullah added.
The two neighbouring countries have a strained relationship, with Pakistan saying that several militant attacks that have been conducted in the country have been launched from Afghan soil – a charge the Afghan Taliban denies.
The TTP claimed a raid last week on an army outpost near the Afghan border that Pakistan said killed 16 soldiers.
A video posted online on Monday shows several TTP members celebrating by dancing and raising their guns in the air after seizing a Pakistani border checkpoint.
‘Killing innocent people’
“We desire good ties with them [Afghanistan], but TTP should be stopped from killing our innocent people,” Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, said in a cabinet address on Friday. “This is our red line.”
The Taliban has historically maintained strong relations with Pakistan, with many of its leaders and fighters being graduates of Pakistani Islamic schools over the two decades of war.
Analysts believe that without Pakistan’s support and sanctuary, the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan would have been highly unlikely.
But the relationship has deteriorated over the past three years, with several cross-border clashes erupting.
The Taliban foreign minister warned Pakistan over the weekend, urging Pakistani authorities not to “underestimate our capabilities”.
“We will not forget Pakistan’s benevolence during the time of jihad, but we will not forget Pakistan’s aggression on Afghan soil today,” Amir Khan Muttaqi said.
“I have a message for Pakistani authorities: don’t think we are weak and don’t attack us,” he added. “We are having difficulties but are very brave.”
