ISLAMABAD (Reuters) — Afghanistan’s Taliban administration warned Pakistan on Sunday against further cross-border military action, saying it would deliver a “deadly and crushing response” to any violation of Afghan sovereignty, as tensions between the two neighbors remain at their highest level in years following a suicide bombing that killed at least 31 people in northwestern Pakistan.
Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in remarks published Sunday that Islamabad’s security challenges, including attacks by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and unrest in Balochistan, are internal Pakistani matters that should not be used as a pretext for incursions into Afghan territory. 
He rejected Pakistani allegations that Afghan soil is used to stage cross-border attacks and urged dialogue and intelligence-sharing instead.
The warning followed a week of heightened violence on both sides of the Durand Line. A suicide bombing at a mosque inside the Police Lines complex in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, during Friday prayers killed at least 31 people, including 17 policemen, and wounded more than 100. 
The attack was claimed by the Hafiz Gul Bahadur-led Ittehadul Mujahideen. The Afghan Taliban’s foreign ministry condemned the bombing and expressed sympathy with the victims, even as Mujahid issued his warning to Islamabad.
Pakistan’s military has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring the TTP and allied groups.  
A UN monitoring team recently reported that no member state supported Kabul’s position that no terrorist groups operate from Afghan territory, and found that the TTP had been afforded greater liberty and support in Afghanistan, with its attacks against Pakistani forces becoming increasingly complex.
The Torkham border crossing, a key trade route between the two countries, has remained closed for months due to tensions and intermittent clashes. 
The closure has caused an estimated $2.5 billion in losses to Pakistan’s economy, according to the Khyber Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including $1.644 billion in exports and $817 million in imports. 
Only limited humanitarian movement has been permitted, including the entry of a five-month-old Afghan baby with a heart condition on humanitarian grounds last week.
The latest escalation follows a fragile ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar earlier this year that collapsed in March, with Pakistan’s foreign ministry saying military operations would continue until strategic objectives were met. 
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said Islamabad was ready to reopen border crossings if the Taliban cooperates in stopping armed groups, but accused Kabul of refusing to guarantee that militants would cease using Afghan territory to operate against Pakistan.