Pakistan conducted airstrikes along the border with Afghanistan on Sunday, targeting hideouts of Pakistani militants responsible for recent attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan Red Crescent Society reported more than a dozen casualties from the strikes.
Although Pakistan did not disclose specific locations, the Afghan Defence Ministry stated that civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces were hit, including a religious madrassa and multiple homes. The Afghan government condemned the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.
According to Afghan Red Crescent Society official Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, 18 people were killed and several others were injured in the airstrikes. Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, mentioned that the military targeted seven camps of the Pakistani Taliban and an affiliate of the Islamic State group, emphasizing Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace and security.
Militant violence in Pakistan, attributed to groups like the Pakistani Taliban and Baloch separatists, has surged in recent years. The Pakistani military responded to a suicide bombing in Bannu district by vowing to continue operations against those responsible, following a similar attack in Bajaur district that claimed the lives of soldiers and a child.
Tarar highlighted Pakistan’s evidence linking recent attacks to militants operating from Afghanistan and urged the international community to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders to prevent such actions. A ceasefire mediated by Qatar between Afghanistan and Pakistan, following border clashes and explosions in Kabul, has helped ease tensions, although formal agreements have yet to be reached after talks in Istanbul.
Overall, the truce has held, but strained relations persist between Islamabad and Kabul despite efforts to improve diplomatic ties.