Afghanistan’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has warned that Kabul has “other options” if peace efforts with Pakistan fail, amid escalating border clashes that have left dozens dead on both sides. His remarks came after intense fighting between Afghan and Pakistani forces along the Durand Line, marking one of the most serious confrontations since the Taliban took power in 2021.Muttaqi said Afghanistan’s retaliatory operations against Pakistan “achieved our objectives” and were conducted with care to avoid civilian casualties. “The overnight retaliatory operation against Pakistan that we carried out for four hours achieved our objectives, and during that, we tried to ensure that none of the civilians faced any kind of harm,” he said.Pakistan Afghanistan conflict – live updatesWhile maintaining that the situation was “under control,” the Afghan minister accused “some elements in Pakistan” of trying to create instability. “The people of Pakistan and those who are ruling there mostly want peaceful relations with Afghanistan. But a few sections of Pakistan are trying to deteriorate the situation,” he said. “Afghanistan will continue to protect its sovereignty. Whatever has happened at the borders, we are giving the proper reply and have achieved our targets. Qatar and Saudi Arabia asked us to stop, and hence we stopped.”Muttaqi added that while Afghanistan “wants peaceful resolution of the situation” and believes “all disputes must be resolved by dialogue,” his government was fully capable of defending its borders. “If someone doesn’t agree with that, Afghanistan has the capability to protect its borders,” he said. “I have told you what the Emirates want, but if someone isn’t agreeable, we have other ways as well.”A senior Pakistani official told AFP that paramilitary forces have been deployed to the Torkham border, now fully closed to trade and pedestrians. Civilian staff have been withdrawn for safety. Separately, another official confirmed the Chaman crossing with Afghanistan’s Kandahar province has also been sealed amid rising tensions.The Taliban-led Defence Ministry in Kabul said Afghan forces were “fully prepared to defend the nation’s borders” and warned of a “strong response” if Pakistan again violated its territorial integrity. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and around 30 wounded in Saturday night’s operations, while 20 Pakistani outposts were destroyed.Islamabad, however, described the Afghan strikes as “unprovoked”. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi accused Kabul of firing on civilians, calling it “a blatant violation of international laws.” He said Pakistan’s forces had given “a prompt and effective response that no provocation will be tolerated,” adding that Afghanistan was being answered with “stones for bricks.”
