Saturday’s cross-border strikes, the first in decades, elicited an unusually sharp response from the militant group in Kabul and a warning that more such attacks would stoke retaliation. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry claimed only that it clashed with members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an off-shoot group known as TTP which operates across the border between the two countries.
“Pakistan seems to have become frustrated and has now resorted to such extreme measures,” he said. “The Taliban are also frustrated due to a lack of international recognition, especially from Pakistan.” Still, the timing of the airstrikes raised eyebrows: They occurred just days after Shehbaz Sharif took over as prime minister and vowed to improve ties with the U.S. and Europe. His predecessor, Imran Khan, had courted closer ties with Russia, China and the Taliban, saying the militant group had “broken the shackles of slavery” after it overran Kabul and forced the U.S. to quickly depart.
Despite the animosity, it’s unlikely the tension will escalate much further, according to Rustam Shah Mohmand, a former Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan. Still, he added, Taliban leaders may seek to lessen Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan and will continue to oppose a border fence that is contributing to tensions.Pakistan built the fence along what’s known as the Durand Line, which was demarcated by the British in the 1890s and divided the homes of ethnic Pashtun tribes.
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