‘Their Failure, Not Ours’: Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Tears Into Pakistan For Security Lapses

Last Updated:September 04, 2025, 12:29 IST

In an interview, Mullah Yaqoob dismissed Islamabad’s repeated allegations against Afghanistan as ‘excuses to cover up its own weaknesses’

Mullah Yaqoob categorically denied that the Afghan Taliban government supports or shelters militants targeting Pakistan. (AFP)

Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban founder Mullah Omar, has publicly accused Pakistan’s security forces of failing to prevent militant attacks within their own borders, dismissing Islamabad’s repeated allegations against Afghanistan as “excuses to cover up its own weaknesses".

In an interview with the BBC, Mullah Yaqoob categorically denied that the Afghan Taliban government supports or shelters militants targeting Pakistan, instead pointing the finger at Pakistan’s internal security apparatus for failing to stop armed groups like the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).

“If fighters from TTP or BLA come from Afghanistan and manage to carry out car bombings or targeted killings inside Pakistan, and even access major cities, this is a sign of failure and weakness of Pakistan’s security system," Mullah Yaqoob said. He added that Pakistan should stop “blaming Afghanistan to hide its own security lapses". “If they can’t stop these attacks inside, it’s their failure, not ours," Yaqoob said in remarks that reflect the growing tensions between the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul and the civil-military leadership in Islamabad.

Islamabad has long accused Kabul of harbouring TTP militants, who have regrouped and intensified attacks across northwest Pakistan since the Taliban regained power in 2021. Recent attacks, including suicide bombings, military convoy ambushes, and targeted killings, have been publicly linked by Pakistani officials to safe havens in Afghanistan.

However, Yaqoob rejected the claims, saying Pakistan’s leadership is deflecting responsibility rather than facing the truth. “Pakistan’s state and intelligence agencies are continuously making baseless allegations against Afghanistan to cover up their own internal failures."

On Monday, five militants from TTP launched a coordinated assault on a Frontier Corps (FC) post in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in which five militants were killed and one FC personnel died.

Hostilities in the frontier area between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated since the Taliban seized power in 2021, with Islamabad battling a resurgence of militant violence in its western regions.

Manoj Gupta

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Location :

Afghanistan

First Published:

September 04, 2025, 12:29 IST

News world ‘Their Failure, Not Ours’: Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Tears Into Pakistan For Security Lapses

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