KABUL: Afghanistan’s acting defense minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid has warned that any assault on Kabul would be met with retaliation against Islamabad, declaring that the country is prepared for a prolonged conflict if necessary.
In an interview with local media outlet Tolo News, Mujahid claimed Afghan forces had already inflicted “significant losses” on Pakistan in response to the killing of a single Afghan civilian. “If they extend the war for ten years, we are ready to fight for ten years as well. We have no fear,” he said.
د ملي دفاع وزير مولوي محمد یعقوب مجاهد سره ځانګړې مرکه
نن شپه ۰۷:۰۰ بجې له #طلوعنیوز، #طلوع، #لمر، ارمان او اراکوزيا pic.twitter.com/Em9BrihiXW
— TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) March 6, 2026
His remarks came amid heightened tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, with cross-border clashes and accusations deepening mistrust between the two neighbors.
Pakistan has continued strikes inside Afghan territory, including at Bagram airbase, where it claimed to have dismantled several Afghan border posts, destroyed a drone storage facility, and targeted multiple military assets. Officials in Islamabad have maintained that such operations are aimed at neutralizing militant threats emanating from Afghan soil.
Afghanistan, however, has repeatedly condemned these strikes as violations of its sovereignty, insisting that they exacerbate instability rather than resolve security concerns. Kabul has accused Pakistan of escalating the conflict instead of pursuing dialogue, while rejecting Islamabad’s demand to designate the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a terrorist organisation.
In his interview, the Afghan Taliban defense minister stressed that Afghanistan does not seek war but would continue fighting if hostilities persist. He added that the Afghan government and people do not want conflict, yet tensions remain rooted in disputes over the Durand Line.
Rejecting Pakistan’s demand to designate Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as a terrorist organisation, Mujahid described such calls as “imaginary and unrealistic.” He said the insistence was a baseless demand being made of Afghanistan.
