ISLAMABAD: The Taliban regime has arrested two journalists at a hospital in Kandahar after they interviewed terrorists injured in recent airstrikes, Afghan media reported.
Shahbaz Akhundzada and Mujtaba Noori, correspondents of an Afghan online news outlet, The Afghan Times, were beaten before being taken to an undisclosed location, Afghan media reported.
The arrests raise questions over the Taliban regime’s attempts to hide facts about the presence and activities of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns over terrorist safe havens and attacks originating from Afghan territory.
Islamabad has consistently urged Kabul to prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan and to take action against groups it says are operating from Afghan soil.
Pakistan to give befitting response to any terrorist Attack from Afghanistan: PM warns
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that Pakistan would give a befitting response to any terrorist attack from Afghanistan, condemning continuing terrorist attacks from Afghan soil.
He was answering a question regarding cross-border terrorism during his media talks in New York after meeting Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
He said Pakistan would not relent until the “curse of terrorism” was eliminated and made clear that attacks against Pakistani security personnel would receive a strong response.
Over 100 Terrorists Killed in Pakistani strikes inside Afghanistan
More than 100 terrorists and facilitators were killed in Pakistan’s precision air and drone strikes against 10 terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan on Thursday.
Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing drones involved in attempted attacks against Pakistan, the government said on Thursday.
Taliban Regime a global threat
The United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan this month described the Taliban regime as a threat to global peace and security, citing concerns over terrorism, human rights and regional stability.
The key concerns remain deeply interconnected: the presence of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil, the Taliban regime’s failure to demonstrate verifiable counter-terrorism measures, systematic restrictions on women and girls, exclusionary governance, the detention of foreign nationals for political leverage, and growing regional security risks.
United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) noted that these challenges persist despite the Taliban’s assertions of improved security and governance.
