KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, has held a phone conversation with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi to discuss the ongoing clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to a statement released on Wednesday (11 March) by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, Muttaqi briefed his Omani counterpart on the Taliban’s position regarding the recent conflict with Pakistan.
The ministry said both sides emphasized the importance of diplomacy and resolving disputes through dialogue.
The statement added that the two officials also discussed recent developments in the Middle East, describing the situation as concerning. They condemned what they called “the aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran and the expansion of the war to other countries in the region.”
Tensions in the Middle East have recently escalated following reports of military confrontations involving the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. The developments have raised fears of a wider regional conflict, with several countries and international observers calling for restraint and diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation.
According to the United Nations, the attacks have left at least 185 people dead or injured and displaced more than 20,000 families.
The current conflict between the Taliban and Pakistan has lasted for about two weeks. It began after Taliban retaliatory attacks on Pakistani border posts. Prior to these Taliban attacks, Pakistan carried out airstrikes in the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktika Province and Nangarhar Province. The Taliban condemned these strikes as violations of Afghan territory and sovereignty, reporting civilian casualties, including 17 deaths in Nangarhar, among them 11 children.
Following the Taliban’s response, the Pakistani army launched its military operation Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeting various provinces in Afghanistan with air and rocket strikes. Taliban attacks on Pakistani border posts have continued, and the group has reported several air raids against Pakistani territory.
Regional leaders, including Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and countries such as Russia and China, have offered to mediate and called for de-escalation. The United Nations and several governments have urged an immediate halt to hostilities.
