Pakistan Launches Airstrikes and Ground Operations in Afghanistan
Pakistan conducted airstrikes and deployed ground troops into Afghan provinces along their shared border on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of dozens, according to officials.
Afghanistan's Taliban government condemned the actions, describing them as a "cowardly act" and labeling them "a crime and atrocity." Taliban officials informed BBC Pashto that at least 100 individuals, including civilians, have been killed or wounded during the strikes.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that 29 militants were killed in strikes aimed at their hideouts, emphasizing that these operations were in response to "recent terrorist attacks against innocent people." Pakistan has consistently accused Afghanistan of harboring terrorists who carry out attacks on Pakistani soil, a claim the Taliban government denies.
Context of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Conflict
The ongoing conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan is marked by mutual accusations. Kabul has previously accused Islamabad of unprovoked attacks resulting in civilian casualties, while Pakistan maintains that its operations exclusively target militants.
Both countries had agreed to a ceasefire last October after weeks of deadly clashes. However, similar to previous internationally mediated truce agreements, this ceasefire has since collapsed.
The BBC has not independently verified the casualty figures reported by either the Pakistani or Taliban governments in the recent attacks.
The Taliban government asserts that the strikes targeted civilian homes, whereas Pakistan claims the operations focused on militant hideouts in Afghanistan's Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces. Taliban officials reported that casualties were concentrated in Mandikhel, a village in Paktika province.
Recent Incidents and Militant Activity
The attacks on Sunday occurred one day after a suicide attack at the headquarters of the Sindh Rangers, a Pakistani paramilitary force, in Karachi, which resulted in the deaths of three Rangers personnel, according to Pakistan's military. The suicide attack also killed three militants, and Pakistani authorities reported the arrest of a fourth individual, identified as Afghan.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday. Both the TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar are banned organizations in Pakistan and by the United Nations due to their involvement in past attacks.
Ongoing Border Clashes and Airstrikes
Intermittent clashes and airstrikes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have resulted in dozens of casualties in recent months, according to officials from both countries.
In February, clashes between the two nations caused dozens of deaths. In March, a Pakistani airstrike on a drug rehabilitation center in Kabul killed hundreds. Earlier in June, Pakistan launched airstrikes that killed 26 militants, while Afghanistan's Taliban government reported that 13 people, mostly children, were also killed during those strikes.
