Afghanistan and Pakistan Clashes Continue
Noriko Watanabe, Michiyo Tanabe, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Pakistan launched air strikes deep inside three days ago in a complex and highly calculated military operation, marking a serious escalation in already fragile bilateral relations. Islamabad stated that the strikes targeted entrenched Islamist militant positions accused of using Afghan territory as a launchpad for deadly attacks inside . According to Pakistani officials, the objective was to dismantle Sunni extremist camps operating along the porous and volatile frontier that has long served as a corridor for insurgency.
The strikes come amid intensifying tit-for-tat hostilities between both nations, with regional and global powers urging restraint and renewed dialogue between the Taliban leadership and political authorities in Islamabad. What began as targeted counterterrorism operations now risks hardening into a broader military confrontation.
Initial Pakistani air strikes reportedly hit Afghan armed forces installations in Kabul and Kandahar, as well as additional locations across the country. The scope of the operation underscores the seriousness with which Pakistan views the militant threat emanating from across the border.
The central fault line remains Pakistan’s assertion that the Afghan Taliban provide either tacit tolerance or insufficient action against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) elements — an allegation Kabul rejects outright.
Meanwhile, diplomatic pressure is mounting. The Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia – and other regional actors – are urging both sides to de-escalate before the situation spirals beyond control. Several nations are now actively encouraging dialogue to prevent further military entrenchment.
The Taliban leadership has strongly condemned the Pakistani operation, describing it as a clear violation of Afghan sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such rhetoric signals that Kabul views the strikes not merely as counterterrorism actions, but as an infringement on state authority — deepening mistrust between the neighbors.
As Modern Tokyo Times recently noted, Pakistan remains under sustained pressure from Islamist militancy, particularly from groups such as TTP and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group. Islamabad contends that these Sunni Takfiri factions exploit safe havens inside Afghanistan to carry out attacks against Pakistani civilians, security personnel, and religious minorities. From Pakistan’s vantage point, the strikes were framed as a matter of national security rather than regional provocation (the stance of the Taliban).
Compounding the crisis, Pakistan continues to grapple with a long-running separatist insurgency in Balochistan, further straining its internal security apparatus. The convergence of Islamist militancy and internal unrest has intensified instability along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, a region historically defined by ambiguity, tribal autonomy, and fragile governance.
Unless meaningful and genuine peace talks emerge, the trajectory points toward further deterioration. Military retaliation risks becoming cyclical, civilian casualties may rise, and diplomatic channels could narrow. For two nations already burdened by decades of conflict, economic fragility, and regional instability, sustained confrontation would only deepen suffering on both sides of the border.
It is therefore imperative that dialogue prevails over escalation — before hardened positions make compromise impossible and the human cost rises still further.
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