During the past week, tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen sharply, claiming the lives of at least one Pakistani army soldier and dozens of civilians in Afghanistan. This fresh contest of cross-border action arises from what Pakistan urged was its reaction to frequent raids by the armed party Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad expressed has seen refuge across the boundary in Afghanistan. On December 21, a TTP attack killed at least 16 Pakistani troops.
As reported by Pakistani military sources, it undertook air strikes in Afghanistan’s Paktia region, which connects Pakistan’s tribal community of South Waziristan. Pakistani planes reportedly attacked shelters where TTP fighters had pursued refuge. In reaction, the Afghan government pledged retribution. Afghan Taliban government claimed to have attacked multiple areas near the Durand Line, the completed boundary between the two nations.
Even though the TTP claims ideological relations with the Afghan Taliban, it undertook a violent movement against the Pakistani state. The Pakistani military has achieved several operations to destroy the TTP, forcing many of its heads into Afghanistan. When the Afghan Taliban recovered possession of Kabul in 2021, Pakistan expected to leverage its historic links to restrain TTP activity.
Unfortunately, a rise in episodes within Pakistan since then indicates these efforts have fallen short. According to experts, the Afghan Taliban confronts considerable challenges in handling the TTP and other parties, such as the ISIL (ISIS) companion in the Khorasan area. The Pakistani military confronted stress both public and internal, following ongoing TTP episodes and was required to demonstrate retaliatory moves, even if it didn’t particularly dilute the TTP.
There has been no shortage of instances in which Pakistan has attacked alleged TTP hideouts in Afghanistan. Parallel airstrikes happened in March but did not prompt a direct reaction from Afghanistan’s administration. However, the fresh tit-for-tat has prompted comparisons with what happened between Pakistan and Iran in January when the two nations shot each other’s border regions.
As reported by Aljazeera, the recent airstrikes happened while Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative to Afghanistan, was in a Kabul session with senior Afghan administrators.
Both countries committed to high-level diplomatic discussions. Despite these measures, violence within Pakistan has persisted untamed. Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior reports that more than 1,500 damaging happenings in the first 10 months of this year claimed the lives of at least 924 people.
Perhaps Pakistani strategists are discouraged in their strategic circles. After decades of backing the Afghan Taliban, they haven’t welcomed the results they expected. There is no way to resolve this conflict with missiles and airstrikes, a fact that the US should have understood during its so-called war on terror. Reconciliation can only occur if Pakistan stops following its doctrine of strategic depth in Afghanistan. Over the years, the Pakistani military has strived to retain influence in Afghanistan, delivering support to armed groups to maintain leverage against India, its traditional rival. Pakistan’s policy of treating Afghanistan as a pawn in its feud with India has deprived Pakistan of legitimacy among Afghans, according to many experts.
