Pakistan Launches Overnight Air Strikes on Afghanistan
Pakistan has executed multiple air strikes overnight targeting locations in Afghanistan. The Taliban reported that these strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 18 individuals, including women and children.
According to Islamabad, the operations focused on seven alleged militant camps and hideouts situated near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The strikes were reportedly launched in response to recent suicide bombings within Pakistan.
Afghanistan Condemns Attacks on Civilian Areas
Afghanistan strongly condemned the air strikes, stating that they targeted several civilian residences and a religious school. These attacks occurred despite a fragile ceasefire agreement between the two nations reached in October, following deadly cross-border clashes. However, sporadic fighting has continued since then.
The Taliban's defence ministry specified that the strikes hit civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, causing dozens of fatalities.
Eyewitness Account from Nangarhar
In Bihsud, Nangarhar, a local man named Shahabuddin spoke to reporters while indicating his destroyed home. He reported that out of 23 family members, only five survived the attack.
Sayed Taib Hamd, a local Taliban spokesman, stated that 18 members of Shahabuddin's family were killed.
Earlier reports from the BBC suggested that approximately 20 people had died in the incident. No fatalities have been reported from other affected areas so far.
Pakistan's Official Statement on the Strikes
Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed the air strikes, describing them as "intelligence based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts."
In a statement posted on X, the ministry identified the targets as members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, referred to by the government as "Fitna al Khawarij," along with their affiliates and the Islamic State-Khorasan Province.
The ministry characterized the strikes as "a retributive response" to recent suicide bombings in Pakistan by terror groups allegedly sheltered by Kabul.
Recent attacks in Pakistan included one on a Shia mosque in Islamabad earlier this month, as well as others occurring since the start of the holy month of Ramadan in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Pakistan accused the Afghan Taliban of failing to act against militants and asserted it possessed "conclusive evidence" that the attacks were orchestrated by militants under the direction of their leadership in Afghanistan.
Taliban's Response and Warning
The Taliban's defence ministry responded via X, condemning the strikes as a "blatant violation of Afghanistan's territorial integrity" and a "clear breach of international law."
They warned that "an appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time," adding that "attacks on civilian targets and religious institutions indicate the failure of Pakistan's army in intelligence and security."
Context of the Strikes and Border Tensions
The air strikes occurred days after Saudi Arabia mediated the release of three Pakistani soldiers earlier this week. These soldiers had been captured in Kabul during border clashes last October.
Those clashes concluded with a tentative ceasefire in the same month, marking the worst fighting since the Taliban regained power in 2021.
Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 1,600-mile (2,574 km) mountainous border, which has been a frequent site of conflict and militant activity.
