Chinese in Afghanistan: Stories of the Kabul Conflict

[Global Times Special Correspondent in Pakistan, Huang Xiaona] On March 1, the intense military conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan has entered its third day. This is the most severe military conflict between the two countries since October of last year, with Pakistan stating that this conflict has brought the two nations into a "state of open war."

According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, U.S. President Trump’s support for Pakistan's counterattack against Afghanistan has caused some in India to feel "defensive." Previously, the Pakistani government had accused India of instigating Afghanistan to confront Pakistan and supporting terrorist forces.

A Chinese citizen working in Afghanistan, Liu, revealed to Global Times reporters that in the early hours of the 1st, several Pakistani fighter jets flew over the Afghan capital, Kabul, and the Afghan military opened fire on the Pakistani jets. The fighting lasted from 5 AM to 6 AM, with "bullets fired into the sky clearly visible in the night sky." According to a previous public statement by Major General Asif Ghafoor, Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations of Pakistan, the "Operation Justice's Fury" military action initiated by Pakistan on the evening of February 26 is still ongoing until Pakistan's "objectives are achieved."

On March 1, Pakistani officials stated that as of 4 PM that day, the Pakistani military had killed 415 and injured at least 580 Afghan Taliban militants. The Turkish Anadolu Agency reported that Afghanistan announced on February 28 that only 13 Afghan soldiers had been killed, and another 52 civilians had died due to Pakistani airstrikes. 

Dawn reported that Trump praised Pakistan's position in the Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, stating that Pakistan has every right to defend itself, and described the U.S.-Pakistan relationship as "very close and good." The Times of India stated that U.S. support for Pakistan has had a "significant" impact, leading to a "shift in diplomatic discourse." Another report from the same newspaper quoted the Indian opposition party, the Congress Party, criticizing Indian Prime Minister Modi, arguing that Modi's negligence has allowed Trump to express support for Pakistan, which has "hindered Indian foreign policy."