Pakistan rules out talks with Afghanistan, says over 330 Afghan fighters killed in operations

Pakistan has ruled out negotiations with Afghanistan until what it describes as “terrorism” originating from Afghan territory is brought to an end, officials said Friday, after several days of deadly cross-border fighting.

The escalation began with Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan last weekend, followed by retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, intensifying already strained ties. Islamabad alleges that Kabul is harboring militants from the Pakistani Taliban — an accusation Afghan authorities reject, arguing that Pakistan is deflecting responsibility for its own security lapses.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani forces had killed 331 Afghan fighters, destroyed more than 100 posts and struck 37 military targets inside Afghanistan. Afghan officials, however, claimed that over 50 Pakistani soldiers were killed and several Pakistani posts captured. The claims from both sides could not be independently verified.

Mosharraf Zaidi, spokesperson for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on foreign media, said talks would not take place unless Kabul addressed Islamabad’s concerns.

“There won’t be any talks, there is nothing to talk about … Terrorism from Afghanistan has to end,” Zaidi told state-run Pakistan TV Digital, adding that Pakistan would continue to strike militant hideouts inside Afghan territory.

“Pakistan’s responsibility is to protect its citizens. If we know that there is a terrorist at point A and a terrorist enabler at point A, we will find a weapon to land at point A and eliminate the threat,” he said.

Zaidi signaled no shift in policy, saying Pakistan had made clear both its current actions and what would be required for them to stop. He urged the international community and Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership to act to reduce instability in the region.

Pakistan remains a major non-NATO ally of the United States, while Washington classifies the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist group.

“The United States supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against attacks from the Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group,” a State Department spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

US diplomat Allison Hooker said on X that she had spoken with Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch on Friday.

The State Department said it was aware of the escalating violence and was “saddened by the loss of life,” adding that “the Taliban have consistently failed to uphold their counterterrorism commitments” and that terrorist groups continue to use Afghanistan as a base for attacks.

Meanwhile, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

“We have always emphasized peaceful resolution, and now too we want the issue to be resolved through dialogue,” he said.

Asked about Pakistan’s objective, Tarar said the goal was to neutralize threats and ensure national security. “We’ve been good neighbors, very friendly and very generous neighbors. Unfortunately, our generosity has often been perceived as weakness,” he said, adding that it was too soon to comment on a potential ceasefire as the situation remained fluid.