Pakistan strikes militant hideouts along Afghanistan border after rise in deadly attacks in the country | World News

Pakistan announced early Sunday that it was carrying out attacks along the border with Afghanistan, targeting hideouts of militants it accuses of being behind the latest wave of deadly attacks inside the country.

According to information received, at least 17 people from the same family were killed in air strikes in the early hours of the morning.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the army was conducting “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps linked to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and affiliated groups. He also stated that an organization affiliated with ISIS was targeted in the border region.

Islamabad did not disclose the exact locations of the attacks and there was no immediate response from Kabul.

However, news on social media stated that the attacks took place within the borders of Afghanistan. Pakistani media, citing the Ministry of Information, reported that the targets included Fitna al-Harij and ISIS Khorasan Province camps.

Pakistan Air Force jets hit a religious seminary in Bermal district of Afghanistan’s Pktika province and carried out multiple airstrikes in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, Tolo News reported.

Strikes were also reported in the Bakhsod and Ghani Khel districts of Nangarhar, as well as in Argun in Pktika. According to Geo News, the operation was carried out with “precision and accuracy” in response to recent suicide attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu during Ramzan.

The latest attacks followed a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur region, when a bomber drove an explosives-laden vehicle into a security checkpoint, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Authorities later determined that the attacker was an Afghan citizen. Just hours before the border operation, another suicide bomber attacked a security convoy in Bannu district, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel.

The Pakistani military warned that it “will not impose any restrictions” and that operations against those responsible for disrupting the peace and stability of Pakistan will continue “regardless of their location”.

Attaullah Tarar stated that Pakistan “always strives to maintain peace and stability in the region” and emphasized that the safety and security of its citizens is the highest priority. He added that Pakistan had “conclusive evidence” that recent attacks, including a suicide bombing on a Shiite mosque in Islamabad earlier this month that killed 31 people, were carried out by militants under Afghanistan-based leaders and handlers.

According to Dawn news, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister also took a tougher stance.
“Pakistan quite legitimately demands that Afghan territory not be used for terrorism within Pakistan. Therefore, unless this demand is met, it is clear that all options will remain on the table with patience,” his spokesman said.

Pakistan has witnessed a rise in militant violence in recent years; Much of Islamabad blamed the TTP and Baloch separatist groups. The TTP is different from the Taliban in Afghanistan but is one of its close allies. The Taliban returned to power in 2021 following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

Pakistan has consistently accused the TTP of carrying out its operations in Afghanistan, a claim vehemently denied by the group and Kabul.

Relations between the two countries have remained tense since October, when violent border clashes resulted in the deaths of dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants. While the ceasefire brokered by Qatar was largely preserved, the failure to reach a formal agreement from the negotiations in Istanbul caused bilateral relations to remain tense.