Use of Afghan territory for terrorism 'unacceptable', warns Pakistan army chief Asim Munir

Munir reiterated that lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan would depend on the Afghan Taliban renouncing support for militant groups.

• Pakistan warns Afghan soil use by militants is unacceptable
• Army chief urges Taliban to renounce support for terrorist groups
• Border tensions rise after recent attacks and retaliatory strikes

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The use of Afghan territory by militant groups to carry out attacks against Pakistan is "unacceptable", Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, Syed Asim Munir, warned earlier this week amid rising tensions along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to a statement issued on March 4 by the Pakistani army’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Munir made the remarks during a visit to Wana in South Waziristan district along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, where he reviewed the prevailing security situation and operational preparedness of troops deployed in the region.

"The use of Afghan soil by terrorists against Pakistan is unacceptable, and all necessary measures will be taken to neutralise the threat emanating from across the border," Munir said.

During the visit, the army chief laid a floral wreath at a martyrs’ monument and offered prayers to honour soldiers who died in the line of duty, saying their sacrifices remained “the cornerstone of Pakistan’s security and resilience.”

Munir reiterated that lasting peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan would depend on the Afghan Taliban renouncing support for militant groups. “Peace could only prevail between both sides if the Afghan Taliban renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organisations,” the ISPR statement quoted him as saying.

He also warned that the use of Afghan territory by groups referred to by Pakistan as “Fitna al Khawarij” and “Fitna al Hindustan” for attacks against Pakistan would not be tolerated. The term “Fitna al Khawarij” is used by Pakistani authorities for members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab Lil Haq on February 26 after accusing Taliban-linked militants of carrying out attacks on 53 locations along the more than 2,600-km frontier.

Earlier, on February 22, Pakistan conducted overnight strikes on alleged militant camps in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. In response, Taliban fighters reportedly launched retaliatory attacks along the border, further escalating hostilities.

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with repeated border clashes and accusations that militants use Afghan territory to target Pakistan.

Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to stabilise the situation. Talks mediated by Turkey and Qatar in Doha last year produced only a fragile ceasefire and a broad understanding to create a verification mechanism, but no lasting agreement.

A senior Pakistani security official recently said cross-border operations would continue until Kabul provided verifiable guarantees that it would stop facilitating militant groups targeting Pakistan.

“Operations in Afghanistan will end when Afghanistan’s Taliban regime provides verifiable assurance of compliance to Pakistan’s demand of quitting facilitation of Fitna al Khawarij and Fitna al Hindustan,” the official said. “We are in no hurry.”