Kathmandu. The cross-border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan intensified on Friday. Islamabad said it had declared “open war” against Kabul after Afghanistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar and Ubaiyat provinces.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, in a statement posted on social media platform X, accused Afghanistan of harbouring “fugitive extremist groups and terrorists” and said “our patience is broken, now there is an open war”. “The expectation was that there would be peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO troops. But terrorists from all over the world gathered there, and terror began to be exported. Women were deprived of human rights, now our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it will be ‘Dama Dum Mast Kulandar’. We are your neighbors, we know your sheep. Allahu Akbar. ”
Meanwhile, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called Pakistan’s airstrike a “cowardly” move. According to him, there were fortunately no reports of any casualties in the airstrikes in parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Ubaiyat.
The tension comes amid growing security concerns and disputes between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the Durand Line (British-era border).
Afghanistan’s Ministry of National Defense has claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in retaliatory operations along the Pakistani border, including two bases and 19 posts. According to the ministry’s statement, the operation began at 8 pm on February 26, 2019, in response to “violation of Afghan borders by Pakistani forces a few days ago”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has launched a special operation called “Ghazab Lil Haq” in which 133 Afghan Taliban fighters have been killed, more than 200 injured, 27 Taliban posts destroyed and 9 captured. The tensions between the two neighbours have deepened the security, political and humanitarian challenges.
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