Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has strongly warned the Pakistani government against conducting any type of military strikes inside Afghanistan. At the same time, he directly rejected all allegations raised by Islamabad regarding cross-border attacks carried out toward Pakistan using Afghan territory.
He expressed this reaction on behalf of the Taliban during an exclusive interview published yesterday, Friday (September 18), in the international media outlet Al Arabiya English.
In the interview, Zabihullah Mujahid made it clear that if Pakistan violates Afghanistan’s sovereignty and carries out strikes, Afghanistan reserves the full right to defend itself, and a “strong response” will be given to the opponent in the event of such a violation of sovereignty.
Earlier, in a separate interview with Al Arabiya English, a spokesman for the Pakistan Armed Forces claimed that Afghan territory was being used to train militants and supply them with weapons.
In response to the Pakistani military official’s allegations, the Taliban spokesman noted that Kabul does not allow Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate within its territory. Simultaneously, they do not support launching attacks targeted at any other country or backing armed groups.
Mujahid further mentioned that violent incidents involving the TTP and Baloch militant groups began long before the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. Therefore, Pakistan should resolve its internal security crisis on its own rather than shifting the blame onto Afghanistan.
Highlighting that Afghanistan remains interested in engaging in bilateral dialogue with Pakistan despite the various tensions prevailing along the border, Zabihullah Mujahid called for strengthening intelligence-sharing mechanisms and mutual cooperation.
Additionally, the Taliban spokesman urged Saudi Arabia, as a friendly nation, to mediate and play a “positive role” in resolving the ongoing dispute between Kabul and Islamabad.
