Kabul, Feb 27 : Pakistan is on a “mission” to destabilise the region, the Taliban regime of Afghanistan said today and urged countries of the region to stop the “trouble makers”.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the Taliban regime, made the comments amid escalating military tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan after the latter carried out provocative and brutal air strikes, killing dozens of innocent civilians and destroying Islamic religious places in Afghanistan on February 22.
Addressing a press conference in Kandahar province, Mujahid said Afghanistan does not want any fight with Pakistan but the latter is not willing to resolve issues through peaceful means.
Afghanistan “seeks a peaceful resolution of issues” has held several rounds of negotiations and discussed issues with Pakistan, he said.
However, the Pakistani side has not been willing to resolve the issues through peaceful dialogue, the spokesman said.
He said the Pakistani side constantly attempts to fabricate pretexts for war and links its internal issues to Afghanistan.
He stated this when asked what would be the Taliban regime’s stand if regional countries call for a halt to the fighting.
Regarding the fighting, Mujahid said Afghan forces precisely targeted Pakistani military centers.
Mujahid further stated that Pakistani aircraft are still patrolling Afghanistan’s airspace.
The latest flare up occurred due to Pakistan’s air strikes in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan on February in which dozens of civilians, including children and women, were killed, besides which a mosque and a madrassa were destroyed and copies of holy Quran burnt to ashes.
In retaliation, Afghan forces last night launched massive cross-border attacks, using heavy artillery, to target Pakistani military positions at multiple places along the border, known as the Durand Line which the Taliban regime does not recognise.
Subsequently, Pakistan’s military regime carried out fresh airstrikes at several places in Afghanistan, including capital Kabul, early this morning.
Mujahid confirmed that Pakistani forces bombed certain areas in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.
He said that during the fighting that started last night, 13 Afghan soldiers were “martyred” and 22 others were wounded.
The Afghan Ministry of National Defense also announced that in these clashes, Afghan forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers, captured several others, and seized two military headquarters along with 19 security posts.
