Pakistan vs. Afghanistan: From allies and neighbors to war
For years, Pakistan supported the Taliban in Afghanistan. But now Pakistan is bombing its neighbor. How the former allies became adversaries and why negotiations keep failing.
On Thursday night, Pakistan launched an attack on targets within Afghanistan. The aftermath of this strike remains a subject of dispute. The Taliban, who govern Afghanistan, reported between nine and ten civilians, including women and children, were killed. However, Pakistan claims 22 militants were killed and depots for weapons and ammunition were destroyed.
These strikes are the most recent escalation in a conflict that flared up mid-September after a period of relative peace. This conflict began after a series of attacks on Pakistani security forces. On September 18, an attack on a police compound in the northwestern city of Kohat claimed 31 lives and left over 100 injured. The group responsible for this attack is a splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of providing a safe haven for the TTP. Afghanistan denies this, but following the attack, border clashes and airstrikes by Pakistan ensued. The TTP in Pakistan is not identical to the Taliban in Afghanistan. Although they share ideological and personnel ties, the TTP is an independent group that targets the Pakistani state.
After the Taliban regained power in 2021, the TTP gained more influence. This situation has placed Afghanistan, once a friend of Pakistan, as a growing threat. Pakistan has urged the Taliban to act against the TTP, but due to their strong connections, this proves challenging. Conrad Schetter, director of the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies, explains that the Taliban has little control over the TTP.
Similarly, Thomas Ruttig from the Afghanistan Analysts Network says the Taliban will not accept outside interference. This predicament complicates Pakistan's policy of supporting the Taliban to gain influence in Afghanistan. Another historical issue contributing to the current situation is the Durand Line, a border drawn in 1893 by a British diplomat and an Afghan emir to delineate spheres of influence between British India and Afghanistan.
This border not only divides land but also ethnic groups - Pashtuns, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and the second largest in Pakistan, are split between the two nations. The conflict over the Durand Line is about more than just territory; it's about identity. Pakistan's long-standing rivalry with India also plays a role.
A friendly Afghanistan would have benefited Pakistan, but India has strengthened ties with the Taliban. While Pakistan once saw Afghanistan as a strategic asset, it now views its northern neighbor as a liability. Despite this, Pakistan retains influence over Afghanistan. As a landlocked country, Afghanistan relies on trade routes through neighboring countries, and Pakistan, in particular.
Pakistan can apply pressure through border closures and trade restrictions. Diplomatic talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan and between Pakistan and the TTP, mediated by the Taliban, have taken place, but no resolution has been found to stop attacks from Afghan territory. Economic and political pressure, along with closing borders and restricting trade, are being used.
However, the Taliban's concern is that cracking down on the TTP too forcefully may push it towards another extremist group, IS-K. This has escalated the dispute, with both Pakistan and Afghanistan accusing each other of supporting armed groups on the other's territory, including those within Afghanistan.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
