Afghanistan's acting defence minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob delivered a strong warning to Pakistan, saying that the Taliban administration would not tolerate "invasions" from its neighours. Pakistani air raids reportedly killed 47 Afghans, prompting Kabul to lodge a "strong demarche" to Islamabad. "We are facing problems and challenges from both the world and our neighbors, and the clear example is invasion by them in our territory in Kunar," said Yaqoob.
There has been widening differences between Pakistan and the Taliban.
For its part, Pakistan was saddled with recurring terror attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) based in Afghanistan leading to many casualties for Pakistan military in the troubled tribal Waziristan region. Islamabad is angry that the Taliban is not cracking down hard on the TTP despite its repeated requests.
The situation turned worse on April 16 when the Taliban accused Pakistan of launching cross-border military raids inside Afghanistan resulting in deaths of 47 Afghans. The Pakistani air raids prompted a massive demonstration in Khost in which protestors chanted anti-Pakistan slogans, according to reports from Kabul.
The military actions prompted the Taliban interim Foreign Minister Muttaqi to summon Pakistani ambassador in Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan to his office and lodge a "strong demarche" or official protest note to him. "The Afghan side condemned the recent attacks on Khost and Kunar provinces, stressing prevention of such acts," Muttaqi's office said in a statement. It warned that military violations by Pakistan would deteriorate bilateral ties and allow "antagonists to misuse the situation leading to undesired consequences".
