BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 27. Afghanistan's Taliban rulers said on Friday they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed its forces in major cities and dozens of troops were killed in the most serious clashes between the allies-turned-foes TurkicWorld reports via aawsat.
The strikes by Pakistan were the first time it had directly targeted its former allies over allegations they are harbouring militants; it described the situation as "open war".
Targets in the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, were hit, signalling a stark rupture in ties between the Islamic neighbors.
Security sources in Pakistan said the strikes involved air-to-ground missile attacks on Taliban military offices and posts in response to Afghan attacks on Thursday.
The Taliban said Afghan forces had used drones to hit Pakistani military targets. Pakistan said all the drones had been brought down and there was no damage.
The Taliban, which denies sponsoring militant attacks on Pakistan and makes similar accusations against its neighbor, said it had launched what it described as retaliatory attacks on Pakistani military installations on Thursday but was ready to negotiate.
"Afghanistan has never been a supporter of violence and has always preferred to resolve issues based on mutual understanding and respect," the Afghan foreign ministry quoted Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as telling Qatar's junior Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khalifi by telephone.
"However, this approach will be effective only if the other party demonstrates a practical and sincere willingness to find solutions."
Qatar, which helped stop the fighting between the two countries last year, is working with other countries to help resolve the latest crisis, the statement added. The strikes threaten to unleash a protracted conflict along the 2,600-km (1,615-mile) frontier.
"Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you (Afghanistan)," Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Friday.
Pakistan's foreign ministry warned that any new provocations by the Taliban, or attempts by any "terrorist group" to target Pakistanis, will be met with a "measured, decisive and befitting response". Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with US-led forces, before returning to power in 2021.
