Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul.
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ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s protection minister stated that his nation ran out of “persistence” and considers that there’s now an “open struggle” with Afghanistan, after each international locations launched strikes following an Afghan cross-border assault.
In a submit on X Friday, Protection Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif stated Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and anticipated the Taliban to deal with the welfare of the Afghan individuals and regional stability. As a substitute, he alleged, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “right into a colony of India,” gathered militants from world wide and begun “exporting terrorism.”
“Our persistence has now run out. Now it’s open struggle between us,” he stated. There was no response from Afghan authorities officers to Asif’s feedback.
The most recent escalation of violence between the neighboring international locations makes a Qatar-mediated ceasefire seem more and more shaky. The Pakistani protection minister did not point out the ceasefire.
Asif additionally accused the Taliban authorities of denying Afghans fundamental human rights, together with rights for ladies that he stated are assured beneath Islam, with out offering particulars.
He stated Pakistan had tried to take care of stability each immediately and thru pleasant international locations.
“As we speak, when makes an attempt had been made to focus on Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he stated.
Afghanistan on Thursday launched a cross-border assault on Pakistan in retaliation for lethal Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan border areas Sunday.
Early Friday, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Kabul and two different Afghan provinces. At the very least three explosions had been heard in Kabul, however there was no instant data on the precise location of the strikes within the Afghan capital, or of any potential casualties.
Afghanistan authorities spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated Pakistan additionally carried out airstrikes in Kandahar to the south and within the southeastern province of Paktia.
In his submit, Asif additionally stated Pakistan had performed a optimistic function over the previous 5 a long time, internet hosting about 5 million Afghan refugees. He added that tens of millions of Afghans are nonetheless incomes their livelihoods within the nation.
Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown in Oct. 2023 to expel migrants with out paperwork, urging these within the nation to go away of their very own accord to keep away from arrest and forcible deportation and forcibly expelling others. Iran additionally started a crackdown on migrants at across the identical time.
Since then, tens of millions have streamed throughout the border into Afghanistan, together with individuals who had been born in Pakistan a long time in the past and had constructed lives and created companies there.
Final yr alone, 2.9 million individuals returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee company has stated, with practically 80,000 having returned to this point this yr.
