ISTANBUL

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Afghanistan’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi discussed regional developments and efforts to ensure security and stability on Saturday, according to a statement.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said Bin Farhan and Muttaqi held a call as tensions continued between Pakistan and Afghanistan along their shared border.

The ministers reviewed recent regional developments and discussed steps that could help reduce tensions and contribute to security and stability in the region.

Afghanistan-Pakistan dispute

On Feb. 22, Pakistan’s Information Ministry announced that, following a series of recent bomb attacks in the country, Pakistani forces targeted seven locations along the Afghan border that it described as “terrorist camps.”

In response, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said that an “appropriate and measured response” would be delivered to Pakistan at a suitable time.

The Afghan Red Crescent Society later reported that 18 people were killed and many injured as a result of Pakistan’s strikes.

Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry, however, said that “around 70 terrorists were neutralized” during operations along the Afghanistan border.

After Pakistan targeted seven sites it labeled as terrorist camps, the Afghan administration summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul to the Foreign Ministry and delivered a formal protest note.

Pakistan’s expectations from Afghan administration

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has repeatedly urged the new Afghan authorities to take action against the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Islamabad maintains that the TTP, which it designates as a terror organization and blames for numerous attacks inside Pakistan, is based in Afghanistan and the Kabul administration has failed to take sufficient measures against the group.

Afghan authorities reject the accusations, insisting that the TTP does not operate from Afghan territory.

The TTP has been active in tribal areas inhabited by Pashtun communities on both sides of the Durand Line, a boundary established during British colonial rule that functions as the de facto border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Demir