Taliban Government Firmly Says Afghanistan Will Not Tolerate Invasion

JAKARTA - Afghanistan's acting defense minister has revealed that the ruling Taliban government will not tolerate an invasion from its neighbour, after protesting against air strikes it says were carried out by neighboring Pakistan.

The comments came after the Taliban government blamed Pakistan for the airstrikes, which officials said killed dozens of people in Kunar and Khost provinces.

Pakistan, which has yet to confirm involvement in the airstrikes inside Afghanistan's borders, says the two countries are sister nations.

"We are facing problems and challenges from the world and our neighbors, a clear example is the invasion by them of our region in Kunar," Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, Afghanistan's acting defense minister, said at a ceremony in Kabul to mark the anniversary of the death of his father, Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, reported by Reuters April 25.

"We cannot tolerate an invasion. We have tolerated the attack. We tolerate it out of national interest, next time we may not tolerate it," he stressed.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Pakistan's foreign office said when asked for comment on Yaqoob's comments, Pakistan expects long-term engagement with Afghanistan to secure peace.

"Pakistan and Afghanistan are brotherly countries. The governments and people of both countries regard terrorism as a serious threat and have suffered from this scourge for a long time," he said.

"Therefore, it is important that our two countries engage meaningfully through relevant institutional channels to cooperate in countering cross-border terrorism and taking action against terrorist groups on their soil," the spokesman continued.

The Taliban government's foreign ministry last week summoned the Pakistani ambassador to protest the attack. Local officials said an attack by a Pakistani military helicopter killed 36 people.

Separately, the head of the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) in Afghanistan said around 20 children were killed in airstrikes in Khost and Kunar on April 16.

It is known that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August, there has been much stalemate along the 2.600 km (1,615 miles) border with Pakistan, which was drawn by colonial ruler Britain and disputed by Kabul.

Growing frustrated with continued militant attacks, Pakistan's military has stepped up operations along the Afghan border in recent months.