Though a fragile 48-hour ceasefire has taken hold, the tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan are boiling after Pakistani airstrikes deep inside Afghan territory killed 15 civilians. Earlier, the Taliban overran Pakistani outposts and seized uniforms and weapons from the abandoned facilities. The trousers were displayed in public in Afghanistan.
It’s no longer an Afghan-Pakistan border clash. It’s war that needed a ceasefire. Pakistani airstrikes in Kabul and Kandahar on Wednesday killed at least 15 Afghan civilians and injured over 100. This came after the Taliban, in a counterattack, seized border outposts in Spin-Boldak. The symbol of which became the pants of Pakistani soldiers who abandoned their posts.
“Empty trousers, recovered from abandoned military posts of the Pakistani army near Durand Line are displayed in eastern Nangrahar province, Afghanistan,” wrote Daud Junbish, an Afghan journalist with the BBC. He shared an image of Taliban fighters displaying trousers and weapons seized from border outposts they fled from after a counter-attack.
The dangerous escalation of the conflict saw Afghans rally behind the fighters of the Islamic Emirate against the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
“If needed, we will also join the Mujahideen and the army of the Islamic Emirate on the battlefield,” Mohibullah, a resident of Kandahar, was quoted by Tolo News as saying.
“The Islamic Emirate gave them a proper response. All the people are standing with them against Pakistan,” said Paktia resident Baitullah.
PAKISTAN AFGHANISTAN CLASHES KILLED OVER 200
The ongoing hostilities started last week after Islamabad targeted Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps in Kabul. This came even as Afghan foreign minister of the Taliban regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi, was on his maiden visit to India.
Afghans blamed Pakistan for the border conflict and repeated violation of Afghanistan’s airspace.
At the heart of the dispute is the controversial Durand Line, which colonial Britishers drew as a border between pre-Independent India and Afghanistan. The Durand Line, which has bifurcated the traditional Pashtun homeland, has never been accepted by the Pathans on either side.
Over the weekend, Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged deadly fire in at least seven locations along the Durand Line.
Both sides claimed to have inflicted significantly heavier casualties on the other. Pakistan said it had killed over 200 fighters from the Afghan Taliban and their allies, while Afghanistan maintained it had eliminated 58 Pakistani soldiers, news agency Reuters reported.
AFGHANS RALLY BEHIND TALIBAN TO PROTECT THEIR HOMELAND AGAINST PAK ATTACKS
Following the Pakistani airstrikes on Wednesday, Afghans rallied being the Taliban to protect their homeland.
“The Islamic Emirate does not seek conflict with anyone, but Pakistan continues to oppress us,” Kabul Jan of Paktia told Tolo News.
A Kabul resident, Abdul Ghafour, said, “We defend the Islamic Emirate and our country. No foreigner has the right to interfere in our homeland.”
On Wednesday, a Pakistani airstrike in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar killed at least 15 civilians and left hundreds injured.
Earlier, the Taliban claimed its fighters killed “a large number” of Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory fire, and seized Pakistani weapons and tanks. A video of Taliban fighters on a seized Pakistani T-55 tank went viral.
Then came videos and images of Taliban fighters displaying trousers and weapons of Pakistani soldiers seized from attacks on two border outposts.
