Latest News
Khalilzad condemns Pakistan airstrikes, says current strategy is not working
Khalilzad called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward what he described as key internal crises as well as Afghanistan.
Former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has criticized Pakistan’s approach to Afghanistan following reported Pakistani airstrikes in the eastern Afghan provinces of Kunar and Paktika, saying Islamabad needs to change its strategy.
In a statement posted on X on Monday afternoon, Khalilzad said the latest attacks had again resulted in civilian deaths and argued that Pakistan’s current approach was failing to address its internal challenges or its relationship with Afghanistan.
“Once again Pakistan has attacked Afghanistan killing civilians,” Khalilzad wrote, adding that the strikes came as what he described as Pakistan’s internal crises intensified.
“More of the same is not the solution,” he said, using the analogy that when someone is in a hole, “the smart thing to do is to stop digging.”
Khalilzad called for a change in Pakistan’s strategy toward what he described as key internal crises as well as Afghanistan. He also said he remained doubtful that Pakistan’s current leadership would change course.
“The current approach means more bad news for Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.
His comments came after Pakistani airstrikes were reported in Kunar and Paktika early Monday. UNAMA said at least three civilians — a man, a woman and a girl — were killed and four others injured in apparent airstrikes in Kunar.
Pakistan said its military had carried out “calibrated” strikes against militant targets in the border region with Afghanistan, claiming that 28 militants were killed. Islamabad said the targets included hideouts and a training centre belonging to militant groups, Dawn News reported.
Afghan authorities condemned the strikes, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoning Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul and handing him a formal protest. Afghan officials have rejected Pakistan’s allegations that militant attacks inside Pakistan originate from Afghan territory.
The latest strikes have renewed tensions between the two neighbours after nearly three months of relative calm. The dispute has centred on Pakistan’s allegations that armed groups, particularly the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operate from Afghan territory — allegations the Afghan authorities deny.
Khalilzad, who served as the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation from 2018 to 2021, has previously commented on tensions between Kabul and Islamabad. His latest statement adds to growing calls for a diplomatic approach as cross-frontier violence continues to affect civilians in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces.