Taliban FM Discusses Pakistan Clashes With China’s Ambassador

The fighting began after what the Taliban described as retaliatory cross-border attacks and has since escalated despite several countries signalling readiness to mediate. So far, however, there is no clear prospect of negotiations or a political settlement.

Pakistan has named its military campaign against the Taliban “Ghazab-lil-Haq,” while the Taliban has referred to its attacks on Pakistani forces as “Rad-ul-Zulm.”

Residents told Afghanistan International that on Tuesday aircraft were heard overhead, along with explosions and ground-to-air fire, in Panjshir, Kabul, Badakhshan, Kunar and Kapisa provinces.

Pakistani officials said their forces had killed at least 464 Taliban fighters and wounded 665 others. Pakistan’s information minister also said 188 Taliban posts had been destroyed, 31 seized and 192 tanks and armoured vehicles destroyed.

The Taliban, meanwhile, said its forces had captured 10 Pakistani posts and destroyed one tank in recent days, killing more than 150 Pakistani soldiers and wounding 200 others. The group confirmed the deaths of 28 of its fighters and said 42 had been wounded. It also claimed to have shot down five Pakistani drones.

The Taliban accused Pakistan of targeting civilians and deliberately destroying homes, mosques, schools and clinics. The group called on the United Nations and international human rights organisations to condemn the attacks.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said that at least 42 civilians, including women and children, had been killed and 104 wounded in Afghanistan during five days of fighting. About 16,000 families have been displaced, and attacks have damaged humanitarian facilities, including an emergency hospital and the Torkham transit centre. The World Food Programme has also suspended operations in affected areas.

Pakistan rejected UNAMA’s report, saying it relied on figures provided by the Taliban.

Security sources in Pakistan said a prominent Taliban commander was killed in Landi Kotal while attempting to cross the border.

The Taliban described Pakistan as the initiator of the war and said its response would continue as long as Pakistani attacks persist.

A Taliban deputy spokesperson called on the international community to condemn Pakistan’s strikes and warned that if the attacks continued, Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul could be closed.

Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani leaders discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Erdogan called for a ceasefire but did not condemn Pakistan’s attacks.

The agency said around 20,000 Afghan families have been displaced in border regions over the past week.

In a statement, the WFP said cross-border violence, including air and ground strikes, has affected more than 30 districts in Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar, Laghman, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, Kandahar and Helmand provinces.

The agency said it had suspended emergency operations, social support programmes and food assistance in areas affected by the clashes.

According to the WFP, the affected regions were already facing severe food insecurity, with more than half of residents experiencing emergency levels of hunger. The agency said acute malnutrition has reached crisis levels in four provinces hit by the latest fighting.

The WFP warned that continued violence is pushing vulnerable Afghan families into even more severe hardship.

It also said escalating tensions in Iran could increase the return of Afghan migrants. The agency warned that many returnees will face poverty, unemployment, hunger and renewed instability upon returning to Afghanistan.

Human Rights Activists News Agency, known as HRANA, reported that at least 1,097 civilians had been killed, including 181 children.

The organisation said more than 5,400 people have also been wounded.

According to HRANA, 104 attacks were recorded in the past 24 hours alone, and civilian areas were among the targets.

The rights group called for an immediate halt to the fighting, the protection of civilians and the full restoration of internet access across Iran.

According to the sources, the assaults caused casualties among Taliban fighters and destroyed several of the group’s border posts.

Zabul province in southern Afghanistan shares a border with Balochistan in Pakistan.

The Taliban have not yet commented officially on the clashes in the area. Earlier, Pakistani media reported that fighting had erupted between the two sides along the border in the Mohmand District region.

The violence has displaced a number of local residents.

The Pakistan Army has intensified airstrikes on Taliban positions and forces, while the Taliban have attempted to respond to the aerial attacks along border areas.

John Aylieff, head of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan, said 3.7 million Afghan children are projected to require treatment for malnutrition in 2026.

Speaking at a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, Aylieff said acute malnutrition among children is rising rapidly. Funding cuts, he said, have left the WFP able to treat only one in four children in need.

He said some children are unable to reach health clinics, while others are stranded in remote mountainous areas because of heavy snowfall.

Aylieff said most child deaths in Afghanistan occur quietly at home during the winter. He warned that when snow melts in late March or April, it may reveal that child mortality in rural areas has been far higher than expected.

He added that deportation policies in neighbouring Iran and Pakistan have led to the return of more than 5 million people to Afghanistan since late 2023, placing further strain on limited resources.

Many returnees have settled near areas of recent clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces, forcing the World Food Programme to suspend some services. Aylieff warned that acute malnutrition is likely to worsen as fighting disrupts access to health care, putting tens of thousands of children at risk.