Taliban Minister Muttaqi In India Amid Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan Tensions Over 'Cross-Border Airstrike'

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India coincided with rising tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan after a suspected cross-border airstrike in Kabul targeted Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Noor Wali Mehsud.

Kabul was jolted by two powerful explosions followed by automatic gunfire late Thursday night, with witnesses reporting the sound of a fighter jet over the city.

The CNN-News18 reported, citing Intelligence sources, that the attack struck a TTP and al-Qaeda-linked safehouse in eastern Kabul.

While the compound was hit, Mehsud later issued a voice message claiming he was safe and in Pakistan, though confirming that his son had been killed.

The timing of the strike, just 48 hours after Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused Afghanistan of harbouring anti-Pakistan militants, strongly indicates a retaliatory operation.

Analysts suggest the attack may have involved Pakistani-origin jets, potentially with external technical support, marking the first such strike on Kabul since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover.

The Taliban has condemned it as a “violation of Afghan sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for an eight-day visit, marking the first high-level political engagement between India and the Taliban regime.

He was welcomed by senior MEA officials and is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval.

Muttaqi’s visit, cleared by the UN Security Council for 9 to 16 October, includes a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday (10 October), followed by visits to Agra and the Deoband seminary. He is also expected to interact with members of the Afghan community residing in India.

Please click here to add Swarajya as your preferred and trusted news source on Google.

Also Read: India Accelerates Toward Swadeshi Automotive Tech With C-DAC–ICAT Pact