AhlulBayt News Agency: The Pakistani military has issued a stern warning to the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, expressing growing frustration over rising militant attacks along the shared border.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated during a Friday press briefing that Afghanistan is being used as a staging ground for assaults against Pakistan, and that there is concrete evidence to support this claim.
He emphasized that Pakistan will take all necessary steps to safeguard its citizens and property, and such actions will persist as needed.
This statement followed reports from Pakistani security officials that eleven soldiers were killed in a clash with militants in the Tirah region near the Afghan border.
In response, the Taliban administration accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes inside Afghan territory and warned of potential retaliation.
Late Thursday, two large explosions shook central Kabul, prompting speculation that Pakistan had targeted a senior militant figure in an airstrike.
While Taliban officials initially downplayed the incident, regional sources suggested the attack may have killed Noor Wali Mehsud, the elusive leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a group blamed by Islamabad for cross-border violence.
Mehsud, a Pakistani national who took over TTP leadership in 2018, has been linked to numerous attacks on Pakistani forces.
He is known to have strong ties with the Afghan Taliban, whose rise inspired the formation of the TTP.
When asked whether Pakistan had launched the strike to eliminate TTP leaders, the military spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the allegation.
General Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to taking decisive action against militants operating from Afghan territory.
These developments come amid deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Kabul, with Pakistan accusing the Taliban government—ruling since August 2021—of sheltering armed groups like the TTP.
Prior to Friday’s incident, an intelligence-led operation in Pakistan’s Orakzai district on October 7–8, 2025, resulted in a deadly firefight that claimed the lives of 11 soldiers, including Lt. Col. Junaid Arif and Maj. Tayyab Rahat.
A wave of militant attacks has killed dozens of Pakistani troops, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
On Friday, the Pakistani military announced it had killed over 30 militants involved in the Orakzai attack.
Pakistan also accused India of backing the TTP via Afghanistan, though India has denied these claims.
Coinciding with these tensions, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in India on Thursday for a six-day visit—the first since the Taliban regained power.
India responded by announcing plans to reopen its embassy in Kabul, which had been closed since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021.
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