Source: China News Weekly
On October 19, local time, Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dharr welcomed on social media the ceasefire agreement reached by Pakistan and Afghanistan in Doha on the evening of the 18th, saying it was "a first step in the right direction."The same day, Afghan government spokeswoman Zabira Mujahid issued a statement saying that talks between Afghan and Pakistani representatives in Qatar were concluded and the two sides signed a bilateral agreement.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are located in southwestern Asia, with longer land borders, and populations such as the Pushto people live on both sides of the Arab border as cross-border ethnic groups. In addition to the unshakable ties between ethnic and cultural areas, Pakistan and Afghanistan have also been in close interaction in several major events since the 20th century. Therefore, Pakistan and Afghanistan can be called a “twin brother”. However, since October, this “twin brother” has been in close contact, and border conflict has erupted, attracting widespread attention from the international community.
"Game of Blood and Fire"
On October 11th, Afghanistan launched a military operation against Pakistan in the border area. Afghan forces killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, captured 25 military posts and wounded 30 soldiers in "retaliatory attacks", Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban regime, said.
According to Pakistani media reports, the locations of the attacks in Afghanistan include Anguilla, Bashir, Kuram, Deir, Chitral and Bahramchai in Kabul-Pushto province. Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Nakvi then said that the Afghan army’s unjustified fire on civilians was a clear violation of international law, “Afghanistan is playing a game of blood and fire.”
On the same day, the Pakistan military condemned the attack by the Afghan Taliban as a "cowardly action" and accused it of destabilizing border areas and facilitating terrorism; the Pakistan armed forces exercised their right of self-defense and repelled the attack by the Afghan Taliban; Twenty-three Pakistan soldiers died in the conflict. The Pakistan army killed 200 Afghan Taliban and their affiliated "terrorists," destroyed multiple Afghan Taliban strongholds along the border, as well as multiple training camps for terrorists in Afghanistan such as the "Pakistan Taliban" and "Islamic State"(IS) who planned attacks against Pakistan, and briefly occupied 21 outposts on the Afghan side of the border. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also said that Pakistan's army "not only effectively responded to Afghanistan's provocations, but also destroyed many Afghan outposts."
After the conflict broke out, the Afghan Defense Ministry said the attack on the Pakistani border post was a retaliatory operation, and the attack had ended. However, the conflict between the two countries did not end. On 14th, the two countries broke out again in the Spinbuldaq region of Afghanistan and the Chaman region of Pakistan, and both accused each other of provoking the conflict. Zabiura Mujahid posted on social media X that the Pakistani army opened fire on Afghanistan, triggering a border conflict, causing 12 civilians to die and more than 100 to be wounded. The Afghan army responded, seized Pakistani weapons and tanks, and destroyed Pakistani military facilities.
However, Pakistan officials accused the Afghan Taliban of first opening fire on a Pakistan post near the border, triggering a conflict that also injured four Pakistan civilians. The chief executive of Chaman District of Pakistan said that the Afghan Taliban attacked a Pakistan post near Chaman District. The conflict lasted for about five hours, and Pakistan forces repelled the attack.
On the 15th, Pakistan and Afghanistan issued separate statements confirming that a 48-hour temporary ceasefire will be implemented between the two countries. Pakistan confirmed the duration of the ceasefire and said in a statement: "During this period, both sides will work in good faith to find a solution to this complex but solvable problem through constructive dialogue." The Afghan government has also instructed its forces to abide by the ceasefire agreement.
Old problems create new conflicts.
Based on comprehensive sources, it can basically be concluded that the border conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan is inseparable from the old problem that "there are shelters for terrorist organizations such as the Pakistani Taliban in Afghanistan". The above series of conflicts may all originate from the air strikes and explosions in Kabul and Paktika province, the capital of Afghanistan, on October 9th. The Afghan government accused Pakistan of carrying out the 9th attack, but Pakistan neither confirmed nor denied these allegations.
According to several media reports, Pakistan's target of the air strike was the "Pakistan Taliban" leader Noor Vali Mahsud. There are media reports that Mahsud was killed in the attack, but the "Pakistan Taliban" has not confirmed the news of Mahsud's death. In July of the previous years, the United States launched a drone attack on Kabul, killing the head of the "Al Qaeda" group in Kabul.
Previously, the Pakistan government and military have repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the "Pakistan Taliban" and other terrorists launching attacks against Pakistan from Afghanistan, saying that the Pakistan military is seriously concerned that the "Pakistan Taliban" have safe haven and can move freely "in Afghanistan and that" such attacks are unacceptable." The Afghan Taliban have always rejected the presence of foreign terrorists in their territory. However, the report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Group affiliated with the United Nations Security Council pointed out that Al Qaeda has training camps and other facilities in 12 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces; the Afghan Taliban has not taken measures to combat terrorist organizations such as the "Pakistan Taliban" in Afghanistan.
After the conflict broke out, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Middle Eastern countries mediated a ceasefire between the two countries as soon as possible. On the 16th, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed and supported the decision of Pakistan and Afghanistan to implement a temporary ceasefire. China supports the two countries to maintain calm and restraint and achieve a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire. China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in the improvement and development of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.
The statement from Pakistan and Afghanistan shows that both countries do not want the border situation to escalate significantly. However, many countries, including Pakistan, accuse the existence of terrorist shelters in Afghanistan and threaten their national security, and the Afghan Taliban deny it, which has become a major issue for the Afghan interim government's diplomatic exchanges.
(The author is executive director and researcher of the South Asia Institute of China Institute of Contemporary International Relations)
Author: The King