KABUL — The Taliban have accused Pakistan of carrying out several explosions in Kabul and Paktika province on Thursday as ties worsen between the two sides amid a surge in cross-border violence and shifting regional alliances.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid initially said an explosion had been heard in Kabul but downplayed its impact, reporting no injuries. A day later, the Taliban Defence Ministry directly blamed Pakistan for the Kabul and Paktika blasts without offering details or evidence.
The accusation comes as tensions soar between the Taliban and Islamabad. Pakistan has long alleged that the Taliban regime shelters the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), blamed for a sharp rise in attacks on Pakistani forces.
The explosions coincided with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, the first since 2021, reflecting Taliban’s efforts to broaden diplomatic ties beyond Pakistan.
While it remains unclear if the explosions caused any casualties, speculation on social media suggested the blasts targeted senior TTP figures, including its leader Noor Wali Mehsud, though it was later reported that he was unharmed. The TTP, however, issued an unverified audio message purportedly from Mehsud, claiming that he was alive.
Islamabad has neither confirmed nor denied involvement but said Afghanistan was being used as a base for attacks against Pakistan.
The dispute follows a short-lived thaw earlier this year after high-level meetings between the two sides, mediated in part by China. But violence in Pakistan has surged again, with nearly as many people killed in 2025 as in all of 2024, one of the deadliest years in a decade.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month warned the Taliban to “choose between friendship and hostility,” while Defence Minister Khwaja Asif accused Kabul of enabling violence.
Pakistan has also intensified the expulsion of Afghan refugees, deporting nearly a million since late 2023.
