Pakistan threatens to 'obliterate' Taliban after peace talks fail

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By Asif Shahzad and Sayed Hassib
October 29, 20254:45 AM EDT
Updated 15 hours ago

ISLAMABAD/KABUL, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Pakistan's defence minister threatened on Wednesday to "obliterate" the ruling Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, a dramatic escalation of rhetoric after the collapse of talks towards a lasting peace between the South Asian nations.

Truce negotiations concluded in Istanbul without a "workable solution", Pakistan's information minister said early on Wednesday, in a blow for peace in the region after this month's deadly clashes.

Pakistan reacted with fury to the failure of the talks, which sources said ended with a disagreement over militant groups allegedly using Afghanistan as a base to attack its security forces along their border.

"Pakistan does not require to employ even a fraction of its full arsenal to completely obliterate the Taliban regime and push them back to the caves for hiding," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said in a post on X.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistan-pakistan-peace-talks-failed-pakistan-minister-says-2025-10-28/