Taliban Spokesman Warns Pakistan of 'Crushing Response' to Any Strike; Pakistan Calls Remarks 'Reprehensible'

Afghan Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Al Arabiya English that Afghanistan would deliver a 'crushing response' if Pakistan invoked Article 51 to strike inside Afghan territory, saying 'Afghanistan has the right to defend its country, and we will do so.' Mujahid rejected Pakistan's allegations that Afghan soil is used by militant groups to recruit, train and launch attacks against Pakistan, and welcomed a greater Saudi Arabian role in mediating between the two countries. In the wake of the September 18 Kohat Police Lines mosque bombing that killed 31, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting called Mujahid's warning 'reprehensible,' posting that 'Pakistan has both the will and the capability to eliminate terrorist threats wherever they are' and that 'the presence of terrorist sanctuaries, alongside their recruitment and support infrastructure in Afghanistan, poses a direct threat to Pakistan's security.' The ministry said the Taliban 'must dismantle these networks rather than deflect responsibility' and that dialogue 'could not be allowed to shield those responsible for threats against Pakistani citizens,' invoking Pakistan's counterterrorism obligations under the Doha Agreement. On September 20 the ministry reiterated the demand, calling for 'credible, verifiable, and sustained measures' against terrorist sanctuaries and urging the international community to press Kabul to act. No new Urumqi-format talks or ceasefire mechanism has been announced.