Afghanistan International reported on Monday that Taliban intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq said at a gathering in Maidan Wardak that the Taliban administration would defend itself against any aggression.
What he said
The report says Wasiq did not name a country. He said enemies cannot tolerate the Islamic system, and that the hopes of those who, in his words, had violated its borders had been dashed by the Taliban’s determination. He called on young people to cooperate with the Taliban and to defend its government against what he described as foreign aggression.
The Pakistan context
Afghanistan International placed the speech against ongoing tension with Pakistan. It said Pakistan has carried out several air strikes in Afghanistan in recent weeks, hitting at least six provinces over three weeks, and that the Taliban has not taken any clear military action in reply. A senior Taliban official had earlier told the outlet that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada opposed retaliatory attacks on Pakistan and had not authorised them.
The same report said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X on Monday that blaming Afghanistan for Pakistan’s failures would lead nowhere. It also reported Information Minister Attaullah Tarar’s claim that more than 20,000 militants, including 6,000 members of the TTP, were in Afghanistan. That figure is Tarar’s claim, as carried by this outlet.
