Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday announced that it had carried out targeted strikes along its border with Afghanistan, hitting alleged militant hideouts in response to a recent wave of deadly suicide attacks inside the country.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the military conducted “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. An affiliate of the Islamic State, identified as Daesh Khorasan Province, was also targeted, he added.
Islamabad did not disclose the precise locations of the strikes, and there was no immediate response from Kabul. However, local media reports and social media accounts suggested that some of the operations may have taken place inside Afghan territory.
Afghanistan-based broadcaster TOLOnews reported that Pakistani Air Force jets struck a religious seminary in Bermal district of Paktika province and carried out multiple airstrikes in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province. Additional strikes were reported in Argun in Paktika, as well as Bahsod and Ghani Khel districts in Nangarhar. Pakistani outlet Geo News said the action was conducted “with precision and accuracy” following recent suicide bombings in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu during Ramzan.
The cross-border operation followed a suicide attack in Bajaur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a security post, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Authorities later identified the attacker as an Afghan national. Hours before the border strikes, another suicide bomber targeted a security convoy in Bannu, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel.
Pakistan’s military had earlier warned that it would not “exercise any restraint” in pursuing those responsible for the attacks and would continue operations “irrespective of their location.”
Tarar said Pakistan remained committed to regional peace but stressed that the safety of its citizens was paramount. He claimed Islamabad possessed “conclusive evidence” that recent attacks — including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed 31 worshippers earlier this month — were orchestrated by militants acting under Afghanistan-based leadership.
Pakistan has repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to prevent militant groups from using Afghan soil to launch attacks, alleging that no meaningful action has been taken. Islamabad also called on the international community to press Kabul to uphold commitments under the Doha agreement not to allow its territory to be used against other countries.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi signalled a tougher line, stating that Pakistan’s demand that Afghan territory not be used for terrorism was legitimate and that “all options remain on the table” if the issue is not addressed, according to Dawn.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it attributed to the TTP and banned Baloch separatist groups. While the TTP is distinct from Afghanistan’s Taliban, the two are closely aligned. Kabul has denied allegations that TTP fighters operate from Afghan soil.
Ties between the two neighbours have remained strained since deadly border clashes in October left dozens of soldiers, civilians and suspected militants dead. Although a Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely held, recent talks in Istanbul failed to produce a formal agreement, leaving relations tense.