Michael Hughes: Islamabad appears to be laying the groundwork for regional partnerships to strangle Afghanistan from all sides as tensions escalate with the Taliban over cross-border attacks resulting in decade-high deaths of Pakistani troops. However, although Pakistan has found a willing ally in Tajikistan, it will be harder to secure cooperation from other actors in the region reluctant to fuel full-fledged conflict.
Pakistan’s two-legged strategy envisions putting pressure on Afghanistan from the outside while anti-Taliban resistance works on the inside to collapse Kabul and Kandahar. Recent airstrikes by Pakistan have sent the tensions with the Taliban to all-time highs. Islamabad claimed the attacks against targets in Paktika province killed over 70 terrorists, while the Taliban said 46 people, mostly women and children, were left dead. The December 24 bombing campaign came in the wake of TTP attacks that killed 16 Pakistani security personnel on December 21.