‘If Needed We’ll Join Mujahideen’ — Kandahar Resident As Taliban Displays Pakistani Soldiers’ Trousers

<p>A fragile ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday evening after Pakistan&rsquo;s airstrikes in Afghanistan&rsquo;s Kabul and Kandahar provinces killed at least 15 civilians and injured more than 100, marking a dangerous escalation in what observers say is no longer a mere border clash but a full-blown war.</p>
<h2><strong>Pakistani Airstrikes Trigger Deadly Escalation</strong></h2>
<p>The strikes came after Taliban fighters launched a counterattack, seizing several Pakistani border outposts in Spin-Boldak. Images and videos that emerged online became symbolic of the chaos &mdash; showing Taliban fighters displaying the trousers and weapons of Pakistani soldiers who allegedly abandoned their posts.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Empty trousers, recovered from abandoned military posts of the Pakistani army near Durand Line are displayed in eastern Nangrahar province, Afghanistan,&rdquo; BBC journalist Daud Junbish wrote while sharing the images.</p>
<h2><strong>Afghans Rally Behind Taliban Fighters</strong></h2>
<p>Following the airstrikes, Afghans across provinces voiced support for the Taliban, pledging to defend their homeland against Pakistan.</p>
<p>&ldquo;The Islamic Emirate does not seek conflict with anyone, but Pakistan continues to oppress us,&rdquo; Kabul Jan of Paktia told Tolo News.</p>
<p>Mohibullah, a resident of Kandahar, said, &ldquo;If needed, we will also join the Mujahideen and the army of the Islamic Emirate on the battlefield.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Another resident, Abdul Ghafour from Kabul, declared, &ldquo;We defend the Islamic Emirate and our country. No foreigner has the right to interfere in our homeland.&rdquo;</p>
<h2><strong>Taliban Claims Retaliatory Success</strong></h2>
<p>The Taliban claimed that its fighters had killed &ldquo;a large number&rdquo; of Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory strikes and seized Pakistani weapons and tanks. A video showing Taliban fighters atop a captured Pakistani T-55 tank was widely circulated on social media.</p>
<p>Over the weekend, Taliban fighters launched a strong offensive across the Durand Line, reportedly killing 58 Pakistani soldiers and destroying 20 Pakistani security outposts, according to media reports.</p>
<h2><strong>Casualties Mount Amid Deepening Crisis</strong></h2>
<p>Pakistan claimed to have killed more than 200 Afghan Taliban fighters and their allies in retaliatory operations. The latest violence followed Islamabad&rsquo;s air raids targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps in Kabul last week &mdash; even as Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was on his first official visit to India.</p>
<p>At the centre of the escalating hostilities is the disputed Durand Line, the colonial-era boundary drawn by the British between pre-Independent India and Afghanistan, dividing the Pashtun heartland &mdash; a border neither recognised nor accepted by successive Afghan governments.</p>
<h2><strong>Pakistan Seeks Mediation Amid Fragile Ceasefire</strong></h2>
<p>In the wake of mounting retaliatory strikes from the Taliban, Islamabad reportedly sought mediation from Qatar and Saudi Arabia. &ldquo;For God&rsquo;s sake, stop Afghans from fighting,&rdquo; Pakistani officials were quoted as saying by Tolo News.</p>
<p>Though a 48-hour ceasefire has been announced, tensions remain high along the Durand Line, and both sides continue to brace for renewed hostilities.</p>
<p>Despite the pause in fighting, the war between Afghanistan and Pakistan appears far from over.</p>