Asif Says Pakistan's Patience Has Ended, Vows Decisive Response To Hostile Acts

Khawaja Asif, Pakistan's defense minister, said the country's patience with the Taliban has reached its limit and that the armed forces will deliver a decisive response to what he described as hostile actions.

In a post on X, Asif said that following the withdrawal of NATO forces, expectations were that the Taliban would focus on peace in Afghanistan and regional stability. Instead, he claimed, Afghan territory has become a gathering place for militant groups and a source of cross-border terrorism.

He added that Islamabad had attempted to maintain normal relations with Afghanistan through direct channels and with the help of friendly countries, pursuing extensive diplomatic engagement, but those efforts had failed to produce results.

Asif's remarks come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, with both sides trading accusations over border violence and security threats, further straining already fragile relations.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has claimed that Taliban forces killed 40 Pakistani soldiers and captured several military posts during recent clashes along the Durand Line. He described the operation as a defensive response to cross-border attacks.

Mujahid also said Pakistani aircraft bombed areas in Kabul, Kandahar, and other provinces, but asserted that no civilian casualties were reported. He warned that any further strikes would be met with retaliation.

On the Pakistani side, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad's patience has run out and that the armed forces would respond decisively to what he called hostile actions originating from Afghan territory.

Pakistani officials have further claimed that their operations targeted militant positions threatening national security, maintaining that recent air and ground actions were necessary responses to cross-border violence.

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