Taliban Refrains from Retaliation After Deadly Pakistani Attack in Paktika
The Taliban administration has announced that it refrained from launching a military response to a recent Pakistani attack on Afghanistan’s Paktika province, which resulted in civilian casualties. The group stated that the decision was made to avoid harming ongoing negotiations in Doha.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban administration, posted a message on social media platform X on Saturday, October 17, stating that a delegation led by Yaqub Mujahid, acting Taliban defense minister, has traveled to Doha to hold discussions with Pakistani officials regarding the border tensions.
According to him, Pakistani forces launched another attack on the border areas of Paktika province the previous night, although details regarding civilian casualties were not provided. Similar attacks in the past have led to deaths and injuries among residents in border regions.
The Taliban administration described the Pakistani assault as an “explicit aggression” and a “clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty,” characterizing it as an effort to perpetuate instability in the country. Despite this, the Taliban says it prefers peaceful solutions and dialogue over escalating conflict.
Residents of border regions, particularly in the provinces of Paktika and Kunar, have repeatedly complained about rocket and artillery shelling by Pakistani forces. Experts attribute the ongoing situation to the Taliban administration’s ambiguous stance towards neighboring countries and its inability to defend Afghanistan’s territorial integrity.
