At around 2:00 a.m. on the 27th, the capital of Afghanistan was hit by an air strike, with a loud explosion reported. Subsequently, Pakistan formally declared war on Afghanistan, and both sides entered a state of war. The trigger for this war had been warned about by China long ago.

The Taliban patrolling at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border

At around 2:00 a.m. on February 27, a loud explosion was heard in the center of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The Afghan government spokesperson later confirmed that multiple areas within Afghanistan were subjected to air strikes by the Pakistani army. Pakistani military personnel also revealed that this move was a retaliation against Afghanistan's attack on Pakistan on the evening of the 26th, which resulted in the capture of several outposts and ammunition depots.

Notably, a few hours later, Pakistan's Defence Minister Asif posted on a social media platform declaring war on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. A single sentence caused the regional situation to escalate dramatically. Asif stated that Pakistan's patience had been exhausted, and the two countries were now in an open war.

It should be noted that this sudden conflict is not the result of a sudden contradiction. For the past few months, there have been intermittent clashes along the border between the two countries. Now that both sides have broken off relations and are fighting, the trigger for the conflict still points to the long-standing problem of terrorism that has plagued the region. A week ago, the Pakistani military launched an air strike targeting the border area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, claiming there were "strongholds" of terrorism.

Pakistani air strikes on Afghanistan

Pakistan claims that this operation killed more than 80 terrorists. These terrorists are believed to be related to a series of bloody explosions in Pakistan. Pakistan's logic is clear: these terrorists are hiding in Afghanistan, using Afghan territory to plan and carry out attacks on Pakistan. However, the Afghan interim government has turned a blind eye and has not taken action to stop them. Since Afghanistan does not act, it cannot be blamed for Pakistan's "educational measures."

However, the Taliban is not willing to back down. They consider Pakistan's cross-border strikes as an infringement on Afghan sovereignty and therefore attacked military facilities in the border areas of Pakistan. The Afghan side claimed its actions were "retaliatory attacks," a response to Pakistan's "repeated violations of the border." After that, both sides remained in a state of intermittent fire.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Asif

Many people may confuse "TTP" and "Taliban," but they are actually two different organizations. Although the Taliban publicly denies supporting TTP, stating that the TTP issue is an internal matter of Pakistan, in reality, their control over TTP is very limited. The leaders and core members of TTP have long been active in the mountainous areas of eastern Afghanistan, carrying out cross-border terrorist activities based on the complex terrain there.

Long before the outbreak of the conflict, China had repeatedly warned both countries that if the "cancer" of terrorism was not thoroughly eradicated, it would eventually cause disasters. Unfortunately, the warning has come true. China had repeatedly called on the Afghan interim government to manage the issue of terrorism, and also urged the international community to provide strong support for Pakistan's counter-terrorism operations.

Pakistan suffering from terrorist attacks

However, the trigger for the conflict between the two countries is the issue of terrorism, but in fact, it is the eruption of long-standing tensions, including historical issues, ethnic conflicts, and geopolitical games. Additionally, the involvement of external forces has made the situation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border even more complicated. Now, Pakistan has officially declared war, which means the space for diplomatic negotiations has been greatly reduced.

But it must be said that this conflict is not beneficial to anyone. For Pakistan, getting involved in a long-term border war with Afghanistan means that anti-terrorism resources will be tied up, domestic security conditions will worsen, and economic development will be hindered. For Afghanistan, the already fragile interim government faces more severe external pressure, and the humanitarian crisis could further deepen.

The United States has withdrawn from Afghanistan, and its willingness and ability to intervene in this conflict are limited. Russia, Iran, China and other neighboring countries have concerns, but none want to get dragged into a quagmire. In the end, it will be these two struggling countries themselves who have to clean up the mess. Once again, only economic development can eliminate the root causes of terrorism, and peace will arrive.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7611406413239304747/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.