Asif warns Taliban of strikes on terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan

"If they would not take any action, we’ll have to hit them,” the minister added.

(Web Desk) – Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned Taliban rulers of strikes on terrorist hideouts inside Afghanistan if Kabul fails to rein in anti-Pakistan militants.

The minister made the remarks in an interview with a foreign media outlet after a statement a day earlier that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were using Afghan soil for carrying out attacks in Pakistan.

Asif told the American media outlet that he reminded the Taliban administration during his visit to Kabul last month “to live up to cross-border security commitments with Islamabad and stop terrorists from using Afghan soil to plan and carry out attacks on Pakistan” or “we will take action.” He said Islamabad told Kabul that “whatever is emanating from Afghan soil is your responsibility.”

If they would not take any action, “at some point we’ll have to […] resort to some measures, which will definitely — wherever [terrorists] are, their sanctuaries on Afghan soil — we’ll have to hit them,” the minister added. 

“We will have to hit them because we cannot tolerate this situation for long.” 

Asif said they responded well, really well. Of course they want to disentangle [with TTP], but this will take time. 

“But they are doing well and we wish them well and we don’t want to get into a situation where this situation with the [TTP] escalates and we do something that is not to the liking of our neighbours and brothers in Kabul.”

When asked whether he believed the Taliban’s claim that the TTP were not using Afghan soil to carry out attacks in Pakistan, Asif said: “They [TTP] still operate from their soil.”

Last April, Pakistan struck what it claimed was a TTP outpost in eastern Afghanistan. However, a large number of civilian deaths in the operation led to a strong reaction by the Afghan Taliban.

Asif was asked about his assertion that the TTP were using weapons left behind by the US forces in Afghanistan. “Have you provided any evidence of that to the Americans?”

The minister said it could be seen all over the place. “On the streets of Kabul, I saw it myself,” Asif said and added that the TTP were using “light weapons, assault rifles, ammunition, night vision goggles and sniper rifles” which were left behind by US troops.

When asked whether this point had been raised with the Americans, Asif termed it inconsequential to talk to Washington. “They left that sort of hardware on foreign soil because they couldn’t carry it.”

The interviewer pointed out that the US State Department’s response to Pakistan’s assertion was that they did not have “an independent assessment”. It also asked whether Islamabad needed the help of the US in fighting terrorism in Pakistan.

“I do not see any logic in that,” Asif said and added that “my personal view is that we can take care of this […] menace ourselves,” giving the examples of Zarb-i-Azb and Raddul Fassad.

He also criticised former prime minister Imran Khan and the previous military and intelligence leadership for allowing thousands of Taliban fighters and their families to return to Pakistan in a bid to continue negotiations with the militants. Intelligence reports say that allowed the terrorists to regroup.

In a recent interview with VOA, Imran defended that decision, saying Pakistan did not have many options.