Border Tensions Ignite between Afghanistan and Pakistan
Murad Makhmudov and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
In March, Pakistan launched airstrikes inside the border of Afghanistan. This came after terrorists killed Pakistan soldiers in North Waziristan.
In response to this terrorist attack, the armed forces of Pakistan launched airstrikes aimed at the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. This terrorist group and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of security forces and civilians in recent times in Pakistan.
The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan – after the Taliban rebuked Pakistan for violating its sovereignty – said, “We have repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete and effective action to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used as a staging ground for terrorism against Pakistan. We have also called on them to deny safe havens to TTP and to hand over its leadership to Pakistan.”
A report by the United Nations (UN) agreed with Pakistan. The findings said the “TTP continues to operate at a significant scale in Afghanistan and to conduct terrorist operations into Pakistan from there, often utilizing Afghans.”
More damning, the report also stipulated that “Taliban support to TTP also appears to have increased.”
Accordingly, the latest flare-up in September between the border guards of Afghanistan and Pakistan isn’t a shock.
Voice of America reports, “The war zone is located between the southeastern Afghan border province of Khost and the adjoining Pakistani district of Kurram, as reported by security officials and residents on both sides.”
Ironically, the Taliban in Afghanistan and terrorist groups (notably the TTP) are utilizing American weapons that were left behind when the Taliban retook control. This happened after President Joe Biden of America decided to pull troops out of Afghanistan.
In August, in another clash, the Dawn reports, “Three security personnel were martyred and five militants were killed in an exchange of fire along the Pak-Afghan border in Bajaur district on Sunday night while a Frontier Corps man was martyred in a clash with Afghan forces at the Gaznali border check post near the Noshki area of Balochistan.”
Lee Jay Walker (Modern Tokyo Times analyst) says, “It is incumbent on Afghanistan and Pakistan to solve complex issues. Afghanistan seeks foreign capital to exploit its natural resources – and Pakistan needs political stability. Therefore, border escalations, terrorism, and mistrust are not in the interest of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The latest clash is a reminder of the tense situation between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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