Pakistan announced early on Sunday that it had conducted strikes along its border with Afghanistan, targeting the hideouts of militants it accuses of being behind a recent wave of deadly attacks inside the country.
As per reports, at least 17 members of a single family have been killed i the early morning airstrikes.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the military carried out “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps linked to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and its associated groups. He also mentioned that an affiliate of the Islamic State group was targeted in the border area.
Islamabad did not disclose the precise locations of the strikes, and there was no immediate response from Kabul.
However, social media reports indicated that the attacks took place within Afghanistan. Pakistani media, citing the Ministry of Information, reported that the targets included camps of Fitna al Khwarij and Daesh Khorasan Province.
According to Tolo News, Pakistani Air Force jets struck a religious seminary in the Bermal district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province and carried out several airstrikes in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar province.
Strikes were also reported in Argun in Paktika, as well as in the Bahsod and Ghani Khel districts of Nangarhar. According to Geo News the operation was carried out “with precision and accuracy” as a response to recent suicide attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu during Ramzan.
The recent strikes followed a suicide attack in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a security post, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Authorities later identified the attacker as an Afghan national. Just hours before the border operation, another suicide bomber struck a security convoy in Bannu district, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel.
Pakistani military warned that it will not “exercise any restraint” and that operations against those responsible for disrupting Pakistan peace and stability would continue “irrespective of their location.”
Attaullah Tarar said that Pakistan “has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region,” while emphasising that the safety and security of its citizens remain the highest priority. He added that Pakistan possesses “conclusive evidence” showing that recent attacks including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad earlier this month, which killed 31 people were orchestrated by militants under the direction of their Afghanistan-based leaders and handlers.
According to Dawn news, Pakistan’s Foreign Officer also indicated a tougher stance.
Its spokesperson said, “Pakistan very legitimately demands that Afghan territory should not be used for terrorism inside Pakistan. So, as long as this demand is not met, whilst exercising patience, all options would obviously remain on the table.”
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, most of Islamabad blamed on the TTP and Baloch separatist groups. TTP is different from Afghanistan’s Taliban but one of its close ally. Taliban returned to power in 2021 after US troops pullout from the Afghanistan.
Pakistan has continuously accused the TTP of conducting its operation inside Afghanistan, claim vehemently denied by the group and the Kabul.
Ties between the two nations have stayed tense since October, when violent border clashes resulted in the deaths of dozens of soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants. While a Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely been maintained, negotiations in Istanbul did not yield a formal agreement, keeping bilateral ties under strain.
