We have little enough to wipe out Taliban - Khawaja Asif

After the failure of peace talks in Istanbul, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has threatened to "completely wipe out" the ruling Taliban government in Afghanistan. The announcement has further heightened tensions between the two neighbors.

Pakistan's information minister has already said that ceasefire talks in Istanbul ended without any effective resolution. This is seen as a major setback for regional peace in the wake of deadly clashes this month.

A Pakistani diplomatic source told Reuters that armed groups from inside Afghanistan were carrying out attacks on Pakistan's border areas. This allegation led to differences in the meeting and eventually the talks collapsed.

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif wrote on social media X, "Our little military power is enough to completely wipe out the Taliban regime. We will force them to go back to their caves."

Neither the Afghan nor the Taliban defense ministries have yet responded to Pakistan's comments.

After the Taliban took power in Kabul in 2021, fierce clashes broke out on the Afghan-Pak border on October 11. Both countries have accused each other of capturing and destroying border posts. The Taliban alleged that Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and Paktika provinces on October 8. In retaliation, Afghan forces retaliated on October 11, killing Pakistani soldiers and causing heavy losses to Taliban fighters.

After four days of fighting, the two countries agreed to a temporary ceasefire for 48 hours on October 15. The two countries met in Doha on October 19 to discuss a permanent ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey. A second round of three-day talks began in Istanbul on October 25, but no agreement could be reached.

Pakistan's Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said, "The Afghan side was repeatedly moving away from the main objective of the talks. They have resorted to subtle tactics and have engaged in a blame game. This is not an effective solution."

A Pakistani security source said the Afghan delegation was reluctant to give a written commitment on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). They were particularly silent on the issue of ending support for the TTP in its anti-Pakistan activities.

The main issue in the relationship between the two countries is border security. Pakistan has long alleged that Afghanistan is harbouring armed groups like the TTP on its soil, a claim that the Kabul government has consistently denied.

This situation of tension and mutual accusations has created new challenges for regional peace and border stability.