Taliban Spokesman Says Forces in Defensive Position Against Pakistan

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated in an audio message broadcast on Taliban-controlled National Television that Taliban forces are in a defensive position against Pakistan, do not invade its soil and consider defending people their duty without initiating war.

The clashes between Taliban and Pakistani forces have lasted nearly four weeks. Both sides announced a ceasefire for Eid al-Fitr, but Pakistan resumed attacks afterward. Mujahid said Taliban forces reported violations by Pakistani forces during the ceasefire, including missile attacks on three eastern provinces that killed at least three civilians.

The spokesman of the Taliban Police Command in Kunar province reported that in a recent Pakistani missile attack on parts of the province, at least three civilians were killed and seven others wounded.

A number of religious scholars from Afghanistan and Pakistan called in a letter for extending the ceasefire until Eid al-Adha and prioritizing dialogue to achieve peace.

The United Nations reported that in the first two weeks of the border clashes in eastern Afghanistan, at least 76 civilians were killed, 193 wounded and more than 110,000 people displaced.