Taliban Step Up Diplomatic Efforts Over Pakistan Conflict

Zamir Kabulov, the Russian president’s envoy for Afghanistan, said in an interview with a Russian newspaper that rising tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban could escalate further.

Kabulov added that Russia maintains good relations with both Pakistan and the Taliban and would be willing to act as a mediator if requested by both sides.

He said Moscow is seeking a compromise solution that could help end the conflict and shift the situation towards diplomacy, but stressed that Russia does not intend to impose itself on the parties involved.

Abdullah Khenjani, head of the group’s political office, made the remarks Tuesday at a meeting in the Belgian Senate.

Khenjani said none of the operations had caused harm to civilians.

He added that hundreds of National Resistance Front members had been detained by the Taliban but said armed resistance against the group was continuing.

Khenjani also said Afghanistan was undergoing a period of transformation and expressed hope the country would move towards justice and prosperity.

He called on European countries not to shape their policies on Afghanistan based on the Taliban’s demands.
Khenjani also stressed the need for continued support for Afghan women and girls and called for a halt to the deportation of Afghan refugees.

Muttaqi described Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan as similar to Israel’s strikes on Gaza.

He called on the international community and Islamic countries to speak out against Pakistan’s actions and fulfil their responsibilities.

Muttaqi also said that negotiations had been under way with mediation from China and some other countries, but claimed that Pakistan’s military establishment was seeking to expand insecurity and pursue what he described as a proxy war through the killing of civilians.

Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, a prominent Afghan jihadi leader, described the bombing of a rehabilitation centre as “hostility toward the Afghan people and humanity”.

Condemning the attack, Sayyaf also criticised the Taliban, saying that if they had acted wisely, reconciled with the people and ensured national unity, no one would have dared to violate Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

Meanwhile, former Afghan foreign minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta wrote on X that yielding to what he described as Pakistan’s aggression would amount to betrayal of the homeland. He added that resisting Pakistan’s actions did not mean aligning with the Taliban.

Abdullah Abdullah, former chief executive of Afghanistan, described the airstrike on the rehabilitation centre as “inhumane” and called it a clear violation of international law and humanitarian principles.

Former finance minister Omar Zakhilwal condemned the strikes on Kabul and Nangarhar as “brutal and indiscriminate attacks”, saying they reflected hostility and would have serious consequences for security.

Shahrzad Akbar, former head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission, said deliberate attacks on civilians constituted a crime. She added that recent Pakistani strikes on Afghan territory were clear violations of international and humanitarian law and should be documented and investigated.

Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, former Afghan intelligence chief, warned that repeated Pakistani attacks not only threatened Afghanistan’s security but also directly affected the daily lives of its people and signalled an escalation of conflict in the region.

In addition to these figures, several other former officials and political figures including former foreign minister Hanif Atmar, former army commander Sami Sadat, former intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil, former president Hamid Karzai, former chief of staff Fazl Mahmood Fazly and former lawmaker Fawzia Koofi also strongly condemned the attack.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has not yet released precise casualty figures.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the UN mission made no reference to the rehabilitation centre being directly targeted in the Pakistani strikes.

UNAMA said the drug treatment facility in Kabul was “affected” by the airstrike.