Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Calls Pakistan’s Airstrike As ‘Cowardly & Cruel’

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched the assault early Wednesday, using both light and heavy weapons.

Mujahid claimed that Taliban forces launched counterattacks, killing “a large number of invading Pakistani soldiers.” He added that Taliban fighters “captured several Pakistani outposts and bases, seized weapons and tanks, and destroyed most of their military facilities.”

Pakistan has not yet commented on the Taliban’s claims, and the reports could not be independently verified.

The latest incident marks a sharp escalation in border tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan, following several days of clashes and the closure of key crossings between the two countries.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Karimi wrote that Pakistan’s rulers “have proven to be an artificial project and a cancerous tumour against peace and stability in the region.”

He accused Islamabad’s leadership of “holding its own people hostage” and turning Pakistan into “a playground for ISIS, drug trafficking, and other dangerous games.”

The post was deleted a few hours later without explanation.

Authorities warned that “strict and decisive” measures would be taken against anyone supporting undocumented Afghan nationals.

According to Qudrat newspaper, officials said relations between Islamabad and Kabul have sharply deteriorated following recent Taliban attacks on Pakistani border outposts, prompting a tougher stance on Afghan migrants and their local supporters.

In an official notice, the government said individuals or organisations offering shelter to Afghan refugees in homes, hotels, or workplaces would face prosecution. The move is part of a nationwide campaign to identify and deport undocumented migrants.

Security sources told Qudrat that the decision followed the Taliban’s recent attacks on border checkpoints.

The sources said both sides used light and heavy weapons during the exchange of fire, though no casualties have yet been reported.

The incident comes just three days after a similar armed confrontation between Taliban and Pakistani forces in the same area.

Neither the Taliban nor the Pakistani government has so far commented on the latest clash.

Speaking to local media on Monday, 13 October, Asif said Pakistan did not seek war with the Taliban but warned that any hostility would be met with a firm response. He said that Whenever an attack came from Afghanistan, Pakistan pursued the attackers to their homes, and added that Islamabad knew “who lives in Afghanistan and where.”

According to Aaj News, Asif said Pakistan would never allow itself to fall into instability and had decided to secure its borders. He added that mediation from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar could help de-escalate tensions between Kabul and Islamabad.

In an interview with Geo News, Asif said that the situation along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border remained tense and that hostilities could resume “at any moment.” Asked about negotiations with Kabul, he said that if the Taliban wanted dialogue while threatening Pakistan, “they should act on their threats first, then we will talk.”

He also accused Afghanistan of harbouring a “conglomerate of international terrorism,” including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban, claiming all operated “under Kabul’s umbrella.”

When asked about Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader Noor Wali Mehsud, Asif said those targeted by Pakistan were located “inside Afghan territory,” adding: “He wasn’t on the moon; he was in Afghanistan.”

Asif’s comments come amid the worst deterioration in Pakistan–Afghanistan relations in four years, following recent Taliban attacks on border posts inside Pakistan.