Pakistani leaders were once friends of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Now, cross-border violence has become alarmingly frequent.

Pakistan conducted airstrikes on TTP hideouts in Afghanistan after the latter attacked the North Waziristan district on 21 December, killing 16 Pakistani soldiers.

The Prime Minister's declaration follows a cycle of violence that has strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. On December 24, the Pakistani military launched airstrikes targeting suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan's Paktika Province,