Taliban Vow “Secret Military Response” to Pakistan Strikes

DID Press: Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the group would deliver a “military response” to Pakistan’s recent strikes on Afghan territory, adding that details would remain confidential.

The statement followed Pakistani air force attacks early Sunday on Nangarhar and Paktika. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that at least 13 civilians were killed, while Pakistan claimed it targeted 70 militants.

Over the past two days, Pakistani border forces and Taliban fighters have clashed along the frontier, though no verified casualty figures have been released. In remarks to Al Arabiya, Mujahid accused Pakistan of striking civilian areas and, without evidence, blaming the Taliban authorities for its internal security failures. He also denied the presence of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan on Afghan soil, saying the group controls “vast areas” inside Pakistan.

Mujahid further accused Pakistan of providing safe havens for Islamic State, alleging the group operates in parts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistani officials, however, have claimed that a recent Islamic State attack was planned in Afghanistan and that dozens were killed in an assault on a mosque in Islamabad.