Pakistan’s defense minister on Wednesday threatened to “obliterate” the Taliban, which governs neighboring Afghanistan, after discussions aimed at establishing lasting peace between the two nations faltered.
Peace talks concluded in Istanbul, Turkey, without a “workable solution,” according to Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, following deadly clashes this month. Dozens perished along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the worst outbreak of violence in the area since the Taliban assumed control of Kabul in 2021.
Negotiations ended due to a disagreement regarding terror groups allegedly utilizing Afghanistan as a launchpad to assault security forces along Pakistan’s border.
“Pakistan does not need to utilize even a small portion of its complete arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and force them back into hiding in caves,” Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated on X.
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The two nations consented to a ceasefire brokered in Doha, Qatar, on October 19, but failed to find common ground in a second round of discussions mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Istanbul, according to Reuters.
Both nations accused the other of causing the talks to collapse.
“The Afghan side consistently deviated from the core issue … upon which the dialogue process was initiated,” Pakistan’s information minister stated on Wednesday, accusing the Taliban of resorting to deflection, deception, and engaging in a “blame game.”
“The dialogue thus failed to produce any workable solution,” he said.
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A Pakistani security source informed Reuters that the Taliban had been unwilling to agree to controlling the Pakistani Taliban, a separate terror group that Pakistan claims operates freely from within Afghanistan.
An Afghan source familiar with the discussions told the outlet that negotiations ceased after “tense exchanges” on the matter, noting that Afghanistan asserted it had no control over the Pakistani Taliban.
The Pakistani Taliban has launched attacks against the Pakistani military in recent weeks.
The clashes commenced earlier this month after Pakistani air strikes targeted the head of the Pakistani Taliban in Kabul and other locations.
The Taliban responded with attacks on Pakistani military posts along the 1,600-mile border that remains closed.
Pakistan’s defense minister stated on Saturday that he believed Afghanistan desired peace, but that the failure to reach an agreement in Istanbul would result in “open war.”
And despite a ceasefire between Pakistan and the Taliban, clashes over the weekend led to the deaths of five Pakistani soldiers and 25 Pakistani Taliban members near the border with Afghanistan.
Reuters contributed to this report.
