• Source:JND

Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions: The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, on Friday said that his country can ‘crush aggressive ambitions’ after it announced a military operation Ghazab Lil Haq against the neighbouring country, Afghanistan. Islamabad struck several Afghan cities overnight after escalating border tension, claiming that it had killed over 130 Taliban fighters.

"Our forces have the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions," Pak government’s X account quoted him as saying. "The entire nation stands shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistan armed forces," Sharif added.

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Pakistan’s attack on Afghanistan came after the latter attacked Pakistan border troops on Thursday night. Both countries claimed that they had killed dozens of soldiers in the latest round of violence.

Pakistan Declares ‘Open War’ With Afghanistan

Making an X post, the defence minister of Pakistan, Khawaja Asif, declared ‘open war’ against the Taliban government. "Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between us and you," he wrote on X.

The Pakistani government spokesperson, Mosharraf Zaidi, said that 133 Taliban troops have been killed in a retaliatory attack by Pakistan and 200 have been wounded in the clash. He further said that the Pakistan army has destroyed 27 Afghan posts, and nine posts were captured.

State broadcaster PTV News reported that the Pakistan Air Force targeted the Afghan Taliban's important military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia.

On the other hand, the Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 19 posts seized, while eight Taliban fighters were killed, 11 wounded, and 13 civilians injured in Nangarhar.

The tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated after Pakistan launched an attack in Nangarhar and Paktia provinces overnight into Sunday, which, according to the UN mission, killed at least 13 civilians.

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Taliban Made Afghanistan A Colony Of India: Pak Minister

In another X post, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said after the withdrawal of NATO forces, there was a hope of peace in the region, with the Taliban focusing on the development of the Afghan people and regional stability. "But the Taliban made Afghanistan a colony of India. They gathered terrorists from all over the world in Afghanistan and started exporting terrorism," he said.

He added that despite the efforts of Pakistan to keep normal relations, ‘Taliban became a proxy for India.’


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