Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan and urges Kabul to dismantle militants

Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.

Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”

Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.

Kabul has denied such claims.

In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.

Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”

Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.

The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.

Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”

The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups. “Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.

Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.

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Qahar reported from Kabul. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this story.