Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) has admitted an intelligence-based operation against terrorists in border areas, citing security concerns.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain in a state of tension. Islamabad is pressing Kabul to take action against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Kabul denies Pakistan’s claims that the TTP has conducted cross-border attacks using Afghan territory.
Pakistan carried out airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province on Tuesday night, killing several militants and targeting alleged TTP bases.
Using Afghanistan’s territorial sovereignty as their red line, the Afghan Taliban regime strongly protested the strikes. The FO justified the operation in response, saying it intended to shield Pakistani citizens from terrorist threats.
Such counterterrorism operations, according to a published statement, are based on accurate intelligence and thorough preparation.
The FO underscored Pakistan’s resolve to fight terrorism while preserving its national security in the face of rising border tensions.
Earlier, Afghanistan foreign ministry yesterday called Pakistan’s head of mission in Kabul, voiced disapproval over recent attacks by Pakistan.
Officials confirmed that Pakistani fighter jets bombed four suspected TTP bases in Paktika province on Tuesday night.
The relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan is still tight, and Islamabad has urged Kabul to take action against the TTP’s attacks on Afghan territory.
Kabul refutes claims made by Islamabad that it harbors TTP militants and targets Pakistan from Afghan territory.
Sources said the strikes targeted media arm leaders and important figures at TTP camps in the Murgha and Laman regions.
Afghan official, Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes resulted in 46 deaths; residents. Moreover, they have also displaced Pakistanis in that number.
The operation, as he noted was bombings throughout the Paktika province. The sites include, Shin Stargi Adda, Sorzaghmi, Almasti, and Marghai.
Moreover, a Pakistani delegation was present in Kabul to reopen diplomatic talks that had not been attended in a year at the time of the strikes.
