The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has issued a sharp warning to Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, challenging him and senior military officers to personally take to the battlefield instead of sending soldiers to die, according to media reports.
In a number of videos, the TTP claimed 22 Pakistani soldiers were killed and their ammunition and vehicles were captured.
The Pakistani Army has claimed 11 of its soldiers were killed in the attack.
In one of the videos, a TTP leader, identified by Pakistani officials as Commander Kazim, dared Munir saying, “Face us if you are a man.”
“Fight us if you have had your mother’s milk,” Kazim was heard saying as reported by NDTV.
Days ago, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire following over a week of cross-border fighting that killed dozens and injured hundreds.
The agreement was reached after talks in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Turkey, aimed at ending one of the deadliest crises between the two neighbors in years.
According to the Qatari statement, both sides will establish mechanisms to maintain peace and stability and hold follow-up meetings in the coming days to ensure the ceasefire endures.
The truce comes after Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province late Friday, just hours after a 48-hour ceasefire expired.
Islamabad said the strikes targeted hideouts of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group in retaliation for a suicide bombing at a security compound in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistani officials claimed the raids killed “dozens of armed fighters” with no civilian casualties.
The recent flare-up has heightened tensions in a region already destabilized by the resurgence of militant groups such as ISIS and al-Qaida.
Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, urged Kabul to prioritize “mutual security over perpetual violence,” warning that the Taliban must rein in militant proxies operating from Afghan soil.
