Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s minister for information and broadcasting, said that by 9 a.m. on Saturday at least 331 militants had been killed and more than 500 wounded in recent clashes.
The European Union has urged the Taliban to prevent militant groups from using Afghanistan as a base, warning that rising tensions with Pakistan could have serious regional consequences.
As tensions escalate between the Taliban and Pakistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov, Uzbekistan’s foreign minister, held a telephone conversation with Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Pakistan’s prime minister, said no talks or negotiations would be held with the Taliban.
Amid an unprecedented escalation in clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, the Taliban said they want to resolve disputes through dialogue.
Residents in Khost Province, Paktia Province, Paktika Province, Logar Province and Kandahar Province told Afghanistan International that some mosque imams declared what they described as jihad against Pakistan during Friday prayers.
Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, spokesperson for the Pakistan Army, said at least 274 Afghan militants were killed in Pakistan’s strikes inside Afghanistan.
Shehbaz Sharif visited Pakistan’s army headquarters as clashes with the Taliban continued, reaffirming what he described as a zero-tolerance policy towards militant groups.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, warned Pakistan against actions that he said could prompt the group to declare what he described as a national uprising and jihad.
Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban had carried out drone strikes on several Pakistani cities and warned that continued fighting could destabilise the region.
China expressed concern over escalating border tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban, while reaffirming its support for efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms.
Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s former minister for information and broadcasting, said Islamabad needs the support of China, Iran and Russia to bring about political change in Kabul.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have discussed recent military clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban.
The Taliban Defence Ministry said it carried out airstrikes on several military targets in Pakistan, including sites in the capital, Islamabad.
Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan’s armed forces are capable of defeating any aggressive plan against the country.
Documents obtained by Afghanistan International show that the Taliban have appointed a Pakistani national as head of information technology at Afghanistan’s consulate in Bonn.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said it is monitoring what it described as threatening statements by the Taliban.
Amit Halevi, a member of Israel’s Knesset, said the Taliban should not be granted international legitimacy and called for support for the group’s opponents.
Officials from Uzbekistan and the Taliban administration say they plan to increase bilateral trade to $5 billion within five years.
Dozens of Afghan and international civil society groups have urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to condemn Taliban policies and avoid normalising relations with the group. They warned that its new penal code deepens Afghanistan’s human rights crisis.
Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, said in a new report that women’s and girls’ access to healthcare has been severely restricted since the Taliban returned to power.
A magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook parts of northern Afghanistan on Wednesday afternoon, residents said.