Taliban Warns Pakistan of Crushing Response to Airstrikes

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid warned the Government of Pakistan that Afghanistan would provide a crushing response to any military strikes conducted within its territory. Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Mujahid asserted that Afghanistan has the right to defend its sovereignty should Pakistan invoke Article 51 to justify military operations.

The warnings follow allegations from the Pakistani military that Afghan soil is used to recruit, train, and arm militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, to launch attacks inside Pakistan. Mujahid rejected these claims, stating that Kabul does not permit the group to operate from its territory and urged Pakistan to address internal security challenges that predated the Taliban's return to power.

Tensions escalated following Pakistani airstrikes in June across Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces, which Afghanistan reports killed 13 people, including 11 children. Those strikes followed an attack by suspected Pakistani Taliban militants on a security post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that killed six Federal Constabulary personnel.

Despite the friction, Mujahid expressed openness to bilateral dialogue and intelligence-sharing. He specifically welcomed a mediating role for the Government of Saudi Arabia to resolve the ongoing dispute.