"Push Them Back To Caves": Pak Defence Minister's Big Warning To Taliban

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday threatened the Afghan Taliban and said that Islamabad would not even need a fraction of its arsenal to "completely obliterate" them and drive them "back to the caves for hiding".

Amid worsening tensions and after a four-day dialogue in Istanbul between the two nations failed, Asif posted the warning on X.

"Let me assure them that Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding. If they wish so, the repeat of the scenes of their rout at Tora Bora with their tails between the legs would surely be a spectacle to watch for the people of the region," he wrote.

Qatar and Turkey mediated the peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan that aimed to secure a peace deal after a fierce border clash killing 70. However, the talks failed after Pakistan admitted for the first time publicly that it has an agreement with the United States permitting drone operations from its territory.

Afghan sources have warned that any future Pakistani strikes will be met with "reciprocal action", stating that if Afghan territory is bombed, "Islamabad will be targeted."

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on X that the dialogue ended without a "workable solution". He also accused Afghanistan of engaging in "blame game, deflection and ruses".

"Regrettably, the Afghan side gave no assurances, kept deviating from the core issue and resorted to blame game, deflection and ruses," Tarar wrote.

"Pakistan participated in the spirit of peace, but Kabul continues its unabated support to anti-Pakistan terrorists... We will continue to take all possible measures necessary to protect our people from the menace of terrorism," he added.

Officials from Pakistan blamed the Taliban for allowing Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate against them and demanded that the Afghan Taliban "summon and control" all violent groups. The Afghan side responded by saying that it was beyond Kabul's authority to "control Pakistan's own citizens".

Despite the talks failing, the ceasefire was not violated, and no new clashes were reported along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.