Stories
Taliban Blasts Pakistan at Moscow Meet Over Airstrikes and Coercion
- •Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi accused Pakistan of using a hostile maximum pressure policy involving Afghan migrants, students, and transit routes during the Moscow Format Meeting.
- •Muttaqi slammed Islamabad for cross-border atrocities and territorial violations, declaring that Pakistan relies on military force instead of political dialogue.
- •Recent Pakistani airstrikes in Kunar and Helmand provinces resulted in civilian casualties, drawing strong condemnation from the Afghan Taliban government and UNAMA.
- •While Pakistan claimed the strikes targeted 22 terrorists based on credible intelligence, Afghan officials and the United Nations reported that women and children were among the dead.
Key Questions Answered
During the Moscow Format Meeting, Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi accused Pakistan of escalating regional tensions through military force and territorial violations. He claimed that Islamabad is pursuing a hostile maximum pressure policy that unethically weaponises vulnerable Afghan migrants, students, and critical transit routes as political pressure tools to force Kabul into submission.
The October 1st Pakistan airstrikes on Afghanistan killed nine people according to the Afghan Taliban government, which stated the victims in Kunar and Helmand provinces included women and children. Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that at least 10 civilians were killed, most of them children, with nine others injured. In contrast, Pakistan claimed the strikes killed 22 terrorists after targeting hideouts based on credible intelligence.
The Afghan Taliban claimed that Pakistan launched recent airstrikes and escalated border conflicts to deliberately distract the public from its worsening domestic political and economic crises. Furthermore, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that these actions are designed to help Pakistan evade its military obligations under the Mecca joint defense agreement involving Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
