Afghanistan Reserves The Right To Respond To Pakistan Airstrikes: Taliban Ahead of Doha Talks

As Afghan and Pakistani officials prepare to meet in Doha today for high-stakes peace negotiations, the atmosphere is already fraught with grief and fury. Just hours before the talks, Pakistani airstrikes hit civilian areas in Afghanistan's Paktika province, killing at least six people, including two children-and injuring seven others, according to local reports.

The Taliban-led government in Kabul condemned the strikes as a blatant violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that while Afghanistan remains committed to dialogue and regional stability, it "reserves the right to respond" to what it called repeated acts of aggression by Pakistan.

In a series of posts on X, he said, "As previously agreed, negotiations with the Pakistani side are scheduled to take place today in Doha. In this regard, a high-level delegation of the Islamic Emirate, led by the Honorable Minister of Defense, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, has departed for Doha.

However, last night, Pakistani military forces once again conducted airstrikes on civilian areas in Paktika, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of a number of civilians. The Islamic Emirate strongly condemns, in the harshest terms, the repeated crimes of the Pakistani forces and the violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty. Such acts are deemed provocative and are viewed as deliberate attempts to prolong the conflict."

Despite the fresh violence, Mujahid said Afghan forces have been instructed to hold back from retaliatory operations-for now-out of respect for the diplomatic process.

Meanwhile, the fallout from the border clashes has triggered a humanitarian emergency. Officials in Kandahar report that roughly 20,000 families have fled the Spin Boldak region, seeking refuge in barren desert areas with little access to food, water, or shelter. The displacement follows days of intense fighting and what Afghan authorities describe as indiscriminate Pakistani bombings.

Efforts to provide aid are underway, but the scale of the crisis is growing. The recent airstrikes targeted residential zones in Argun and Barmal districts, compounding fears that the ceasefire agreement between the two nations-brokered just days ago-is unraveling.

The Pakistani delegation, including Defense Minister Khawaja Asif and intelligence chief Asim Malik, has arrived in Doha for the mediation talks. But with fresh bloodshed and thousands displaced, the path to peace looks increasingly fragile.