ISLAMABAD: The Taliban regime in Afghanistan on Friday said it wanted dialogue to resolve its conflict with neighbouring Pakistan following days of deadly fighting along the border.
“We have repeatedly emphasised a peaceful solution, and still want the problem to be resolved through dialogue,” Taliban regime spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said during a news conference.
The statement came after Pakistan launched a large-scale retaliatory operation in response to what officials described as unprovoked firing by Afghan Taliban fighters across multiple sectors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur on Thursday night.
In the ensuing retaliatory strikes, Pakistan’s armed forces destroyed several key Taliban regime posts, while the Pakistan Air Force carried out strikes in Kandahar, Kabul and Paktia.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said 274 Taliban regime personnel and members of affiliated terror groups were killed, while more than 400 were injured during the operation.
He added that over 74 Taliban regime posts were destroyed and 18 checkposts were taken into Pakistan’s custody. Pakistani forces also destroyed 115 enemy tanks and armoured vehicles and targeted 22 hideouts of Fitna al-Hindustan and Fitna al-Khawarij.
According to the ISPR chief, military installations in Nangarhar, Laghman and Paktika were also targeted, including an infantry brigade headquarters in Kabul and a brigade headquarters in Kandahar.
Twelve Pakistani security personnel embraced martyrdom while 27 others sustained injuries during the retaliatory response, he said, adding that the operation is continuing under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
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“Our operation was for the defence of our country and the protection of our people,” the ISPR chief said, maintaining that only military objectives were targeted.
He further said drone attacks in KP’s Abbottabad and Nowshera were foiled during the exchange of fire.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz visited the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, where he received a detailed briefing from military leadership on the evolving situation.
Addressing senior officials, the prime minister reiterated a zero-tolerance approach against what he termed the nexus between Fitna al-Khawarij and the Afghan Taliban regime, calling the cross-border attacks “unacceptable” and reaffirming Pakistan’s right to defend its territory.