PESHAWAR: Pakistan carried out an unprecedented airstrike on Tuesday targeting multiple suspected Pakistani Taliban hideouts in neighboring Afghanistan, dismantling a training facility and killing some militants, security officials said. This was revealed by four people.
Officials said the airstrike took place in the mountainous region of Paktika province, which borders Pakistan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record. It is unclear whether the warplanes went deep into Afghanistan or how the attack began.
A Pakistani military spokesperson could not immediately provide further details. However, this was the second attack on a suspected Pakistani Taliban hideout since Pakistan announced that it had carried out an intelligence-based attack on its border area in Afghanistan.
In Kabul, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense condemned the airstrikes by Pakistan, saying the bombings targeted civilians, including women and children. It said most of the victims were refugees from the Waziristan region.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns this, considering it an act of brutality and blatant aggression that violates all international principles,” the ministry said. At least eight people, including women and children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes, residents said. They said the death toll from the strike could rise.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said in a post on X Platform that Pakistan should realize that such unilateral measures are not the solution to the problem. “The Islamic Emirate will not allow this dastardly act to continue, but rather considers the defense of its territory and territory to be an inalienable right.”
The strike came hours after Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq, visited Kabul to discuss a range of issues, including boosting bilateral trade and ways to improve relations. During his visit, Sadiq met with Afghanistan’s acting interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and expressed his condolences over the December 11 killing of his uncle, Khalil Haqqani.
He was the minister for refugees and repatriation when he was killed in a suicide bombing claimed by the local branch of the Islamic State group. In a post on X, Sadiq said he also met with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and “had extensive discussions.”
They agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and work together for peace and progress in the region. A delegation from the pro-Taliban Jamiat-e-Ulema Islami also visited Kabul on Tuesday to express condolences over the killing of Haqqani’s uncle. Islamabad often claims that the Pakistani Taliban use Afghan soil to attack Pakistan, a charge denied by Kabul.
Islamabad-based security expert Syed Mohammad Ali said Tuesday’s airstrike “represents a clear and unequivocal warning to the Pakistani Taliban that Pakistan will use all means against terrorist organizations within and outside its borders.” ” However, he said this was not an indiscriminate use of force and Pakistan took due care to ensure that only terrorist bases were attacked and no loss of civilian life or property occurred.
The Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, whose leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan.
The TTP has stepped up attacks on Pakistani soldiers and police since November 2022, when it unilaterally ended a ceasefire with the Afghan government following months of failed talks it hosted in Kabul. The TTP has killed dozens of soldiers in attacks within the country in recent months.
