White House: Taliban and Pakistan Should Resolve Their Differences through Dialogue
Sayed Mahdi Hussaini
Bayan News – Shortly after the border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan, Crane Jean Pierre, the spokesperson for the US Presidency, called on both sides to resolve their differences through dialogue.
In a press conference on Monday (March 18), he stated that the Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in response to the attack on one of its military centers on Saturday. The attack took place in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, resulting in the death of at least 10 soldiers.
The White House spokesperson expressed regret over the civilian casualties resulting from Pakistan’s attacks on Afghan soil and stated that the Taliban must ensure that Afghanistan’s territory is not used for terrorist attacks.
The United States continues to urge Pakistan to exercise restraint in its counterterrorism efforts and ensure that civilians are not harmed.
He said, “We want both sides to resolve any disputes through dialogue.”
The White House spokesperson continued to address the Taliban, emphasizing that they should not allow Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorist groups intending to harm the United States and its allies.
The increase in TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) attacks against the Pakistani government and military has increasingly strained Kabul-Islamabad relations. Pakistani authorities claim that the Pakistani Taliban, using Afghan soil, organize attacks inside Pakistan.
Islamabad referred to the airstrikes carried out by the Pakistani military yesterday in areas of Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces as anti-terrorism operations. In a statement, they announced that a key TTP commander was the target of these attacks.
Although it is unclear whether the Pakistani Taliban militants suffered casualties in the border clashes, local sources have reported to Afghan media that five civilians, including women and children, were killed.
Pakistan’s actions have provoked the anger of the acting Afghan government, prompting attacks on Pakistani outposts along the hypothetical border.
It is said that in the border clashes, one Pakistani soldier was killed and three others were injured.
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader should be handed over to Islamabad
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in defense of the Pakistani military’s airstrikes on Afghan soil, has stated that the main objective of the attacks was to target senior commanders of the quasi-military groups affiliated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
In a statement, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry stated that in the past two years, the country has repeatedly expressed serious concerns about the presence of terrorist groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, inside Afghanistan and their transfer of threats to Pakistan.
The ministry added, “These terrorists pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s security and have consistently used Afghan soil to carry out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.”
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that the country has repeatedly urged the Taliban to take tangible and effective measures to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a breeding ground for terrorism against Pakistan, not to provide safe havens for the Pakistani Taliban, and to hand over their leadership to Pakistan.
