Afghanistan calls for peaceful dialogue amid clashes with Pakistan
Istanbul - The Afghan government has expressed its desire to resolve issues with Pakistan through “dialogue and peace,” amid the latest border clashes between the two South Asian nations.
“We have repeatedly emphasised peaceful solutions and remain committed to resolving this matter through dialogue,” stated Afghanistan’s government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, during a press conference in Kandahar on Friday, 27 February.
Mujahid noted that Pakistani aircraft were still flying over Afghanistan several hours after Islamabad launched air strikes on Kabul, Kandahar, and other cities.
According to Mujahid, 13 Afghan soldiers were killed and 22 others wounded in the clashes with Pakistan. He added that Pakistan has so far shown no willingness to resolve the matter through dialogue.
Mujahid claimed that 55 Pakistani soldiers were killed and many others wounded in the border clashes, with 19 military positions destroyed. “We hold 23 bodies of Pakistani soldiers, in addition to several captured soldiers, whose number we will announce later,” he stated.
Furthermore, Mujahid rejected Islamabad’s allegations that the Pakistani Taliban uses Afghan territory to launch attacks within Pakistan. He emphasised that Kabul remains committed to not permitting any individuals or groups from using its territory to attack other nations.
“Pakistan’s internal conflict is entirely a domestic matter and not a new issue,” he said. “Our foreign policy is based on mutual respect and we do not wish to take a path that is harmful or hostile to anyone,” he added.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaged in intense clashes since Thursday, 26 February evening. The death toll on both sides of the border has risen to 48 people, including 12 Pakistani soldiers and one civilian, whilst Kabul reported 13 of its soldiers and 22 civilians were killed in the clashes.
Kabul announced on Thursday, 26 February that it had launched a border attack against Pakistan in response to Islamabad’s air strikes on Sunday in Afghan territory that had resulted in numerous casualties. Pakistan subsequently retaliated with heavy fire and fresh air strikes on Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia provinces in the early hours of Friday local time.
According to a statement from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s top diplomat, Amir Khan Muttaqi, held separate talks with Qatar’s senior diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan regarding the latest conflict. These talks emphasised the importance of strengthening a climate of tolerance and pursuing diplomatic solutions to the ongoing issues, with a focus on efforts to ease tensions.