Taliban says it won't tolerate 'invasions' after airstrikes from neighbouring Pakistan
April 25, 2022, 6:41 am

Taliban says it won't tolerate 'invasions' after airstrikes from neighbouring Pakistan

The Islamic Emirate at a ceremony on Sunday (Apr 24) marked the ninth anniversary of its founder and former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid (Photo: Twitter)

The Anews reported, citing Reuters, Afghanistan's acting defence minister said on Sunday (Apr 24) that the Taliban administration would not tolerate "invasions" from its neighours after protesting against airstrikes it says were conducted by neighbouring Pakistan.

The comments come after the Taliban administration blamed Pakistan for airstrikes that officials say killed dozens in Kunar and Khost provinces.

Pakistan, which has not confirmed any involvement in airstrikes inside Afghanistan's borders, said the two countries are "brotherly countries".

"We are facing problems and challenges from both the world and our neighbors, the clear example is invasion by them in our territory in Kunar," said Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, acting Afghan defence minister, at a ceremony in Kabul commemorating the anniversary of the death of his father, Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Taliban would not tolerate 'invasions' from its neighours after protesting against airstrikes conducted by Pakistan (Photo: Twitter)

He said: "We can't tolerate the invasion. We have tolerated that attack. We tolerated that because of national interests, next time we might not tolerate it."

Pakistan's foreign office spokesperson said when asked for comment on Yaqoob's comments that Pakistan hoped for longterm engagement with Afghanistan to secure peace.

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The spokesperson said: "Pakistan and Afghanistan are brotherly countries. The governments and people of both countries regard terrorism as a serious threat and have suffered from this scourge for long time ... therefore, it is important that our two countries engage in a meaningful manner through relevant institutional channels to cooperate in countering cross border terrorism and taking actions against terrorist groups on their soil."

The Taliban administration's foreign ministry last week called in Pakistan's ambassador to protest against the strikes. Local officials said the strikes by Pakistan military helicopters killed 36 people.

The United Nation's children's agency head in Afghanistan said that 20 children were killed in airstrikes in Khost and Kunar on April 16.

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Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, there have been numerous standoffs along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) border with Pakistan - drawn by British colonial rulers and disputed by Kabul.

Increasingly frustrated by continuing militant attacks, Pakistan's military has stepped up operations along the Afghan border in recent months.

Source: anews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.