The United Nations has warned that about 200,000 additional Afghan children are expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year as foreign aid declines and tensions escalate along the border with Pakistan.
Afghanistan has ranked last among 181 countries in the latest Women, Peace and Security Index published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, recording the poorest performance on women’s rights.
Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s information minister, said that by Tuesday, 3 March, 464 members of the Taliban had been killed and more than 665 wounded in Operation “Ghazab-ul-Haq”.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said the group is prepared for a prolonged conflict if fighting continues.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan have caused casualties, destroyed hospitals and homes, and displaced “tens of thousands” of people.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, condemned Pakistan’s continued airstrikes on Afghan cities and said the group could close Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul if the attacks persist.
Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson for the Taliban, said on Tuesday that Russia, China, the European Union and the United Kingdom had contacted the group in efforts to end the war.
On the fifth day of fighting between the Taliban and Pakistan, both sides reported heavy casualties. The Taliban claimed that more than 100 Pakistani personnel had been killed since the start of the conflict.
A hacker group has claimed responsibility for breaching several Pakistani government websites, including sites linked to the prime minister’s office, financial institutions, ministries and regulatory authorities.
The Afghanistan Green Trend, led by former Afghan vice-president Amrullah Saleh, said Pakistan is pursuing a multi-track policy against the Taliban and consulting opposition forces about a post-Taliban political arrangement.
The Taliban confirmed new Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul. However, Khalid Zadran, the Taliban’s police spokesperson in Kabul, said in a post on X that the situation in the capital was normal.
The latest wave of clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan has entered a fifth day, with fighting continuing along the Durand Line.
Local sources in Herat Province told Afghanistan International that fighter aircraft were seen patrolling the skies over the province on Sunday night.
Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting, said that by 9 a.m. on Saturday at least 331 militants had been killed and more than 500 wounded in recent clashes.
The European Union has urged the Taliban to prevent militant groups from using Afghanistan as a base, warning that rising tensions with Pakistan could have serious regional consequences.
As tensions escalate between the Taliban and Pakistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, held a telephone conversation with Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister, said no talks or negotiations would be held with the Taliban.
Amid an unprecedented escalation in clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, the Taliban said they want to resolve disputes through dialogue.
Residents in Khost Province, Paktia Province, Paktika Province, Logar Province and Kandahar Province told Afghanistan International that some mosque imams declared what they described as jihad against Pakistan during Friday prayers.
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Pakistan Army, said at least 274 Afghan militants were killed in Pakistan’s strikes inside Afghanistan.
Shehbaz Sharif visited Pakistan’s army headquarters as clashes with the Taliban continued, reaffirming what he described as a zero-tolerance policy towards militant groups.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, warned Pakistan against actions that he said could prompt the group to declare what he described as a national uprising and jihad.