After decades of conflict, the Taliban were able to take control of the Afghanistan government. This comes after America’s exit from the war-torn country in August of 2021. Many, including the Taliban, viewed this as Afghanistan finally having a chance for peace for the first time in 20 years. However, with the recent surge in Pakistan’s attacks, the Taliban soon might be drawn into another large-scale conflict.
For well over a decade now, Afghani terrorists have carried out attacks in Pakistan, killing innocent civilians. One of these attacks was on a school in Peshawar, which killed 145 people. These tensions have only gotten higher ever since the Taliban have taken control of Afghanistan. Pakistan has made multiple claims over the last few months saying that Afghanistan has been harboring terrorists and militants that have carried out attacks in Pakistan, claims that the Taliban have refuted. Regardless, Pakistan retaliated against the alleged militants in April of 2022.
On April 16, Pakistan carried out airstrikes against sites that allegedly harbored these militants. A representative from the Taliban stated that they “strongly condemn Pakistan’s attacks” in a tweet made after the attacks. The exact number isn’t known as of now, but the total deaths caused by airstrikes have been tallied at around 45 people, as of now. Pakistan officials have not confirmed the attacks but did state that the Taliban should clear out their border of terrorists.“Terrorists are using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan,” Pakistan’s foreign office stated the day after the attacks.
Tensions between the two countries have never been higher. Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and the Taliban’s guerilla warfare make a potential war between the two countries potentially a very costly and violent one. Thankfully, a full-scale war between the two is seen as very unlikely, as of now. However, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine still being in recent memory, many are preparing for the worst between the two military powers.
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