Afghanistan’s Taliban government has unleashed a ferocious riposte against Pakistan, announcing 55 soldier deaths, base captures, and post seizures in a border blitz. Detailed by the Defense Ministry Friday, the action avenges civilian deaths from Pakistani air raids.
Pakistan’s February 22 strikes ravaged Nangarhar homes and a school, killing 17 in one family attack alone and wounding others. Mujahid told Al Arabiya these were no militant hunts but assaults on the defenseless, rejecting Islamabad’s militant-targeting rationale.
Crossing into enemy lines Thursday night, Afghans hammered eastern and southeastern Pakistani holdings for four hours. Two bases fell, 19 posts crumbled, four more evacuated in panic. Seizures tallied weapons galore, ammo dumps, a wrecked tank, and a nabbed transport rig.
Afghan toll: eight slain, 11 wounded. A refugee camp missile strike added 13 civilian injuries, stoking fury. Mujahid’s interview vowed military payback for the ‘disgraceful’ strikes, while debunking Pakistan’s accusations of Afghan complicity in attacks.
‘Whenever blasts rock Pakistan, they finger us sans proof,’ he charged, reaffirming Kabul’s anti-militant stance on its turf.
This clash amplifies enduring border animosities, where the porous Durand Line incubates threats and distrust. Pakistan insists on self-defense; Afghanistan cries foul on civilian tolls. With forces mobilized, the path to peace looks treacherous, potentially drawing in wider alliances and upending the region’s delicate balance.