Amid rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Army Chief, Asim Munir, has issued a ‘stern warning’ to Kabul to take decisive action against militants using Afghan soil to target Pakistan. Speaking at a graduation ceremony for army cadets at the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA) in Kakul, Abbottabad, on Saturday, Munir asked Afghanistan to choose between “peace and chaos”, asserting that Islamabad would respond firmly to any acts of aggression. His comments come as clashes along the border continue despite multiple ceasefire attempts.
According to news reports, Munir called on the Taliban regime to act decisively against militants operating from within Afghanistan. “All proxies using Afghan soil would be met with a response to raise them to dust,” the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) warned during his address.
Tensions between the two neighbours intensified last weekend after Taliban forces reportedly launched retaliatory strikes against Pakistan for alleged attacks on Kabul. Islamabad denied the allegations, but the hostilities have since escalated.
Fighting along the border was temporarily halted following mediation efforts by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, leading to a fragile 48-hour ceasefire which was later extended. However, clashes resumed on Friday after Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory allegedly killed 10 civilians, including three local cricketers.
Islamabad has asked the Taliban government to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil for cross-border attacks. Kabul, however, continues to deny these claims, maintaining that Afghan territory is not being used against any neighbouring country.
The deteriorating relationship follows a series of deadly attacks inside Pakistan, reportedly carried out by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from within Afghanistan. One of the most recent assaults in Orakzai district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, left 11 Pakistani soldiers dead, including a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major.
Reuters cited Pakistani security officials as saying the ceasefire agreement was reached with the Afghan Taliban but not with Islamist militants based in Afghanistan who continue to launch attacks across the border. Afghanistan’s Tolo News reported that Pakistan’s recent airstrikes targeted residential areas in the Urgun and Barmal districts, resulting in significant civilian casualties.
