Pakistan Army Chief Warns Afghan Safe Havens Increase Security Threats
Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, stated during a meeting of the country’s senior military commanders that the availability of safe havens for armed groups in Afghanistan has backfired, resulting in increased security threats within Pakistan. He emphasized that military operations against these groups will continue with intensity.
According to the public relations statement of the Pakistan Army, at this meeting, which focused on the internal and external security situation, it was decided to maintain and accelerate the ongoing operations aimed at dismantling armed networks, targeting their supporting infrastructures, and preventing any activities on Pakistani soil. The Pakistan Army also confirmed the continuation of the operation codenamed “Ghazi Ilallah.”
According to Pakistani military officials, this operation, which began after border clashes in February, is aimed at “destroying militant hideouts.” Islamabad has once again accused the Taliban administration of allowing groups such as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan to operate within Afghan territory; an accusation which the Taliban administration has denied.
The Pakistan Army has also dismissed Taliban claims regarding casualties from recent attacks as a “propaganda campaign” and described these claims as baseless. The statement emphasized that the military operations are “precise and targeted,” aiming solely at the positions and infrastructures related to armed groups.
These statements come amid earlier remarks by Hamdullah Fetrat, deputy spokesman for the Taliban administration, who said that Pakistani attacks on Dangam district in Kunar province targeted residents’ homes and civilian facilities, resulting in three civilian deaths, including women and children, and injuries to 14 others. Additionally, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) confirmed that at least 269 civilians were killed in a “Pakistani airstrike” on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul on March 16.
The continuation of these events indicates that tensions between the Taliban administration and Pakistan remain unresolved. Although four rounds of formal talks and, most recently, informal meetings in Istanbul have been held to reduce tensions, no lasting solution has yet been found to manage the security disputes between the two sides.
