Dangerous Phase of War: Will Pakistan Target Taliban Leaders?

DID Press: As clashes intensify between Pakistan and the Taliban, a critical question is gaining traction: Is Islamabad preparing to target senior Taliban leaders? The conflict has entered a volatile stage marked by escalating military strikes and rising civilian casualties.

According to Enam-ul-Haq, Pakistan is applying “calculated pressure” and does not intend to target the Taliban’s top leadership. He said Islamabad is unwilling to cross a “red line,” warning that the killing of senior Taliban figures could create a power vacuum and widespread instability that would be difficult for Pakistan to control.

However, some international analysts hold a different view. The Diplomat reported that Pakistan’s recent strike on guards protecting Hibatullah Akhundzada in Kandahar sent a clear message: if the Taliban fails to halt support for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamabad could move toward directly targeting the group’s leadership core.

In recent weeks, the conflict has reached an unprecedented level. Pakistan has carried out multiple strikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and Balkh, while Taliban forces have responded with ground assaults and drone attacks. The violence has significantly escalated tensions along the border and across major Afghan cities.

The United Nations confirmed that 143 people were killed in a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul, although Taliban officials claimed the death toll reached 400. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan reported that since late February, between 75 and 212 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured.

Alongside military operations, Pakistan has intensified political contacts with Taliban opponents. A second round of the Islamabad meeting involving anti-Taliban figures and politicians close to the Pakistani government is scheduled to be held in London. Analysts believe Islamabad is attempting to maintain sustained pressure on the Taliban without directly dismantling the group’s leadership structure, as such a move could trigger a wave of radicalization and regional instability.

Meanwhile, trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan remain closed, inflicting daily economic losses worth millions of dollars on both countries. The United Nations estimates that around 100,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, while the Financial Times reported the overall death toll from the conflict has reached “around one thousand.”