Taliban Refutes Pakistan's Allegations of Afghan Role in Attack on Chinese Engineers

Enayatullah Khwarizmi, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence, announced in a statement on Tuesday that Pakistan's accusation of Afghan involvement in the suicide attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan is "irresponsible and far from reality”.

He attributed the attacks by militants to "the shortcomings of Pakistan's security apparatus”.

The Pakistani army announced on Tuesday that the suicide attack, which resulted in the deaths of five Chinese engineers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, was planned in Afghanistan and carried out by an Afghan perpetrator.

Nonetheless, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defence said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa falls under the jurisdiction of Pakistan's military, and the targeting of Chinese citizens in this region "highlights the deficiencies of the country's security apparatus”.

Khwarizmi mentioned that they have discussed this attack with Chinese officials, and "they are also aware that Afghans are not involved in such matters”.

The Taliban Ministry of Defence rejected the planning and attacks of the TTP from Afghan soil into Pakistan. However, for the first time, this ministry accused the Pakistani government of not preventing ISIS from entering Afghanistan.

The Taliban spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated that ISIS has entered Afghanistan from Pakistani soil, and Pakistan should be held accountable for this.

Pakistan has previously accused the Taliban of sheltering militants in Afghanistan and organising attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil.

Earlier this month, Asif Durrani, Pakistan's special envoy for Afghanistan stated that TTP attacks in Pakistan have increased by 65%, and suicide attacks have increased by 500% in the country.

He claimed the involvement of "Afghan citizens" in suicide attacks in Pakistan and called it concerning.