Pakistan threatens to take military action in Afghanistan if Taliban fail to keep terror groups on leash

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned the Taliban that Pakistan would take military action in Afghanistan in order to thwart terrorist activities emanating from the neighbouring country.

"We will act under international law to defend ourselves. If the Afghan authorities do not act, then action inside can be one of the options, but not the first option," he said during an event on Tuesday (August 1) in Islamabad.

Bhutto, however, hoped that the Afghan government would take suitable action against the terror groups threatening Pakistan.

“We are ready to help them (Afghan Taliban) if there is an issue of capacity,” he said adding that “if there is an issue of intention then that’s a separate matter.”

Warning after terror attack in Pakistan

The warning comes in the wake of a series of terror attacks Pakistan has been facing recently, with the latest one taking place in Bajaur District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack that killed 54 people, including 23 children, and left nearly 200 injured. The attack targeted an election rally on the Pakistan border.

“A suicide attacker from the Islamic State [ISIL] … detonated his explosive jacket in the middle of a crowd" in the town of Khar, the armed group’s news arm Amaq said in a statement, according to Al Jazeera.

Pakistan believes that the terrorist group was operating from Afghanistan and blamed them for the surge in terrorist attacks.

Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto reacts to rising terror threat from Afghanistan

Increasing terror attacks in Pakistan

Since last year, when a truce between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamabad collapsed, terror attacks have increased in Pakistan.

Islamabad has been repeatedly stating that the banned TTP and its affiliates have been operating from Afghanistan with impunity.

The interim Afghan government has denied this and insisted that it would not allow Afghan soil to be used against any country.

Bhutto demanded the Afghan government to curb terrorism, as cooperation against the menace of terrorism was in the interest of both countries.

Afghanistan has no standing army, anti-terrorists force or border management force which caused the capacity issues to face terrorism, he said.

“In the past, we had faced the threats and together will face them,” he added. Pakistan, he said, was ready to assist them as they had the capacity issues to deal with such threats.

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