The acting Afghan defense minister said on Sunday that Taliban authorities would not tolerate “attacks” on their neighbors after protesting airstrikes by neighboring Pakistan.The comments come after Taliban authorities blamed Pakistan for airstrikes in which officials killed scores of people in Kunar and Kost provinces.
Pakistan, which has not confirmed any involvement in airstrikes within the Afghan border, has called the two countries “brothers’ countries”. , “said Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, acting Afghan defense minister, at a ceremony in Kabul to commemorate the death of his father, Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.
“We will not tolerate that attack. We will not tolerate that attack. We have tolerated that for the sake of the country’s interests, in the future we may not tolerate it,” he said. A spokesman for the Pakistani foreign ministry said when asked to comment on Yaqoob’s comments that Pakistan hoped to work more closely with Afghanistan for peace.
“Pakistan and Afghanistan are countries of brotherhood. Governments and peoples of both countries view terrorism as a major threat and have long been plagued by this scourge … therefore, it is important for both countries to participate effectively through appropriate institutions. and to take action against terrorist groups in their area, “the spokesman said. The Foreign Ministry in the Taliban government last week summoned a Pakistani ambassador to protest the strikes. Local officials have said strikes by Pakistani military helicopters have killed 36 people.
The head of the United Nations children’s agency in Afghanistan said 20 children had been killed in air raids in Khost and Kunar on April 16.Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, there have been many conflicts along the 2,600-mile (1,615-mile) border with Pakistan – drawn by British colonial rulers and opposed by Kabul. operations at the Afghan border in recent months.
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