Pakistan conducted airstrikes on militant targets inside Afghanistan in response to a series of recent suicide bombings, attributing the attacks to militants operating from Afghan soil. This action signifies a significant escalation in tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, following the release of three Pakistani soldiers by Kabul as part of a Saudi-brokered effort to reduce border conflicts.
According to a statement released by the Pakistani ministry on February 21, the government had compelling evidence linking the attacks to the Pakistani Taliban, referred to as Khwarij, who allegedly received orders from their leaders based in Afghanistan. The statement disclosed that Pakistan undertook targeted strikes on seven terrorist camps and hideouts affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban and the Islamic State Khorasan Province along the Afghan border.
Afghanistan’s Taliban officials were not immediately reachable for comment by Reuters. Kabul has consistently refuted allegations of permitting militants to launch attacks from its territory into Pakistan. Recent incidents highlighted by the Pakistani government include a bombing at a Shi’ite mosque in Islamabad and violence in border regions like Bajaur and Bannu, where a suicide bomber attacked a security forces convoy, resulting in casualties.
The ongoing tensions have led to the closure of vital border crossings, causing disruptions to trade and movement across the 2,600-km frontier. Despite a previous ceasefire agreement reached after clashes in October, Pakistan maintains its accusations against Afghanistan’s Taliban administration of sheltering militants responsible for cross-border attacks, a claim that Kabul denies.