Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Zabihullah Mujahid has pushed back on Pakistani officials’s statements about the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in his country but admitted that some border regions might be out of the Emirate’s control.
“We reject the presence of any … foreign groups in Afghanistan and they are not allowed to operate on Afghan soil. In this regard, we have made our utmost effort,” Mujahid was quoted by Tolo News as saying.
Mujahid’s statement comes amid reports that TTP hideouts had been being bombed by Pakistan in Paktika and Khost.
While no official statement has been made by either the Pakistan and Afghanistan sides, speculation is rife that houses of major TTP commanders have been targeted.
Mujahed said that Pakistan and Afghanistan shared a long border and not all places were under the Taliban government’s control.
“One thing we must accept is that Afghanistan shares a very long border area with Pakistan, and there are places with rugged terrain including mountains and forests, and places that might be out of our control,” Mujahid said.
The statement comes a day after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that TTP was attacking Pakistan through its sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Asif added that Pakistan was ‘aware’ of TTP’s hiding places in Afghanistan.
Speaking after the terror attack in Waziristan that killed seven soldiers, Asif said that terrorism will have to be uprooted and the goverment was determined to succeed.
A Pakistan Army lieutenant colonel and a captain were among seven martyred after a group of terrorists attacked a security forces’ post in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan district in the wee hours on Saturday, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
Meanwhile, reports emerged that clashes had taken place on Monday morning on the Pak-Afghan border.
According to locals, the clashes started after mortar attacks from Afghanistan’s Paktika province. The mortars fell near a school and a general store, although no casualties were reported.
After the mortar attack, heavy fire was reported from both sides of the border but could not be independently verified.
Jalal Bangash, a leader of the Torri Bangash tribe, has condemned the attacks from the Afghan side of the border. He added that more such attacks should not take place.
Peshawar based journalist Tahir Khan also said that Afghan officials had confirmed the strikes in Khost and Paktika but Taliban officials had been asked not to comment on the matter.
Khan also claimed that TTP leaders have also confirmed the bombings.
