By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan confirmed on Monday that it had conducted airstrikes against suspected militant hideouts in Afghanistan, following a deadly assault on a Pakistani military outpost.
The strikes come amid escalating violence that Islamabad blames on militants based across the border.
Hours before the announcement, the Afghan Taliban charged Pakistan with targeting civilian areas, leading to casualties among women and children.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry countered, identifying the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group and the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the perpetrators of numerous terrorist attacks within Pakistan, including a recent one on March 16 that killed seven soldiers.
“The target of today’s operation was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which along with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The latest attack took place on 16 March 2024 at a security post in Mir Ali in North Waziristan and claimed the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers.”
The ministry’s statement highlighted ongoing concerns communicated to the Afghan interim government about the harboring of militant groups. It criticized certain elements within the Afghan administration for supporting the TTP and leveraging them against Pakistan, a move described as short-sighted and dismissive of Pakistan’s longstanding support for Afghanistan.
“Such an approach against a brotherly country, which stood with the people of Afghanistan through thick and thin, manifests shortsightedness. It ignores the support extended by Pakistan to the people of Afghanistan over the last several decades.”
Islamabad urged Afghan authorities to shift their stance and join forces against terrorism, emphasizing the need for a united front against groups like the TTP. “We urge these elements in power to rethink the policy of siding with Khwarij terrorists shedding the blood of innocent Pakistanis and to make a clear choice.”
The statement also acknowledged the challenges faced by Afghan officials in dealing with these threats and expressed Pakistan’s willingness to collaborate on counterterrorism efforts to prevent further strain on bilateral relations.
The recent uptick in militant attacks in Pakistan, many claimed by the TTP, has put pressure on the government to act. Officials assert that the majority of these assaults are launched from Afghan soil, a claim that has strained ties with the Afghan Taliban, who deny permitting their territory for such activities.
This latest incident of cross-border tension was sparked by a suicide bombing targeting a security post in North Waziristan, which resulted in the deaths of seven Pakistani soldiers. A somber image released by Pakistan’s military showed senior officers carrying the coffin of a high-ranking official killed in the attack.
In a separate declaration, the Pakistan army attributed the surge in militancy to Afghanistan’s support and assistance, alleging that the Afghan Taliban’s involvement and provision of advanced weaponry have escalated terrorist activities in Pakistan.
“It is clear to all that the recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan has the full support and assistance of Afghanistan,” the army’s media wing said in a statement shared by state-run Pakistan Television on X. “With the help of the Afghan Taliban and the supply of modern weapons, there has been an increase in the incidents of terrorism in Pakistan.”
Earlier, Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, reported that Pakistani aircraft had bombed civilian areas in the Khost and Paktika provinces, intensifying the conflict between the two nations.
“Last night at around 3 o’clock in the Barmal district of Paktika province and in Afghan Dubai area of Sepera district of Khost province, Pakistani planes bombed the houses of civilians,” Mujahid wrote on X. “As a result, 6 people including 3 women and 3 children were martyred and a house destroyed in Paktika, as well as, two women were martyred due to the collapse of a house in Khost province.”
The Afghan government condemned the attacks and called them a “reckless” violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
“The people of Pakistan and the new government should stop some army generals from continuing their wrong policies … and spoiling the relationship between the two neighboring Muslim nations,” the statement added. “Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for the lack of control, incompetence and problems in its own territory.”
The spokesman warned that the air strikes could have “bad consequences which will be out of Pakistan’s control.”
In a separate statement on social media platform X, Afghanistan’s defense ministry said its border forces had responded to Pakistan’s airstrikes.
“In response to this aggression, the border forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan targeted Pakistan’s military centers along the fictitious line with heavy weapons,” the statement said. “The country’s defense and security forces are ready to respond to any aggressive actions and will defend their territorial integrity in any situation.”
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