58 Pakistani soldiers killed in retaliatory action: Taliban regime

Kabul, Oct 12 (IANS) Taliban regime's chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Sunday that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 30 others wounded during a retaliatory operation carried out by the Afghan forces, along the Durand Line.

He stated that 20 Pakistani security outposts were destroyed, and several weapons were seized during the operation on Saturday night.

"Nine Afghan soldiers were also martyred and 16 others wounded, while 20 Pakistani security outposts were destroyed," Mujahid said.

He said the military action was halted at midnight following requests from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the Afghanistan-based Tolo News reported.

Mujahid also claimed that after ISIS-K was defeated in Afghanistan, it started establishing its bases in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

"Training centres for ISIS-K have been established in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and trainees are being brought there through Karachi and Islamabad airports. Our findings show that the attacks in Iran and Moscow were orchestrated from these centres," he said.

He claimed that the recent ISIS-K attacks in Afghanistan were orchestrated from these bases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and urged the Pakistani government to hand over key ISIS-K members to Kabul.

Taliban spokesperson said that Pakistan had requested to send a delegation to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban regime rejected the request in response to the airstrikes carried out by Pakistan on Thursday night (October 9).

In response to Thursday's attack, the Afghan forces conducted an operation against Pakistani forces along the disputed Durand Line on Saturday. Mujahid warned that any violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty will not go without a response.

Following Pakistan's airstrikes on Kabul and Paktika, the Taliban-led Ministry of Defence had condemned the Pakistani strikes and called them a "violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty", Tolo News reported.

Taliban-led Ministry of Defence spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi said, "This is an unprecedented, violent, and hateful act in the history of Afghanistan and Pakistan. We strongly condemn this aggression against Afghanistan's territory. Defending our sovereignty is our right."

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, who is currently on a visit to India, issued a stern warning to Pakistan for its actions.

Cautioning Islamabad not to blame Kabul for its internal problems, Muttaqi said, "We consider Pakistan's actions a big mistake. Such problems cannot be solved through force. History has shown that pressure and violence never succeed in Afghanistan. We have opened the door to dialogue and understanding; this mistake must not be repeated. Do not test the patience of Afghans; if you do, ask the British, Russians, Americans, and NATO how playing with Afghanistan ends."

--IANS

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