Pakistan has conducted airstrikes along the Afghanistan border, killing at least 25 people, according to Pakistani officials. The strikes targeted militants in three eastern Afghan provinces, marking the latest escalation in tensions between the two neighbors.
Strikes in Response to Karachi Attack
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated that the operations were directed at the group responsible for a deadly weekend attack in Karachi. On Saturday, militants attacked the paramilitary Rangers headquarters in Karachi, killing three soldiers. Security forces neutralized three attackers and captured another, identified as an Afghan national.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Karachi assault. Tarar said the airstrikes targeted hideouts of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khwarij, a term Pakistan uses for the Pakistani Taliban.
Taliban Condemns Civilian Casualties
The Taliban government in Afghanistan reported that the airstrikes killed or wounded dozens of civilians. Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid denounced the military action as a "cowardly act of aggression." Afghan authorities have consistently denied that their territory harbors militants.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks on security forces, largely attributed to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied groups. While the TTP is distinct from the Afghan Taliban, the two are allies.
History of Cross-Border Violence
The airstrikes are the latest in a series of conflicts between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover in 2021. In February, the two countries engaged in a weeks-long war, with Pakistani airstrikes hitting Afghan cities including Kabul and Kandahar. The UN reported that the conflict killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands.
A ceasefire in March brought a temporary halt, but sporadic attacks have continued. In June, Pakistani strikes killed 13 people, according to Afghan officials. The border has remained largely closed since cross-border violence in October.
Pakistan, while mediating between the US and Iran, asserts that its fight against militancy necessitates strikes on Afghan soil. Afghan authorities counter that such operations cause heavy civilian casualties, citing a March strike on a drug treatment center that the UN said killed hundreds.
International mediation, including by China, has failed to achieve a lasting resolution between the two countries.
