Afghanistan's Taliban leaders said they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed the capital Kabul and the city of Kandahar, where Taliban leaders are based, as well as other towns on Friday. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif declared an "all-out confrontation" with the Taliban government, posting on X: "Now it is open war between us and you."

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the Taliban's leaders were ready to negotiate with Pakistan to end the violence. The escalation followed Pakistan's air strikes on Afghan territory last weekend, which triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, exacerbating long-standing tensions over Pakistan's claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistan Taliban fighters—a claim Kabul denies.

Mujahid said Pakistani strikes hit parts of Kabul, Kandahar and Paktia on Thursday night, and Paktia, Paktika, Khost and Laghman on Friday. Pakistan's military spokesperson claimed at least 274 Afghan forces members were killed, while Mujahid rejected these figures as "false".

This marks Pakistan's most widespread bombardment of the Afghan capital and its first air strikes on the Taliban's southern power base since they returned to power in 2021. Analysts note constraints on Pakistan's ability to wage full-scale war.

Negotiations mediated by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia have failed to yield a lasting agreement. UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep concern over the escalation of violence.

Source: www.aljazeera.com