Pakistan says offensive led by ‘solid intelligence’; Over 80 terrorists eliminated in precision hits
Afghan men gather at the site of an overnight air strike in Girdi Kas village of Bihsud district of Nangarhar province. Photo: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on late Saturday night carried out intelligence-based strikes against terrorist camps inside Afghanistan, in a retributive response to a string of deadly suicide bombings, including an attack on an Imambargah in Islamabad and multiple blasts in Bajaur and Bannu during the holy month of Ramazan.
The development marks a sharp escalation in tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, with the Afghan authorities summoning Pakistan’s ambassador and condemning what they termed a violation of their territorial integrity.
Unlike the past, this time Pakistan was quick to confirm the airstrikes in Afghanistan after reports emerged of multiple explosions in several districts of the neighbouring country.
According to late-night official press release, Pakistan said it had “conclusive evidence” that the recent attacks were orchestrated by terrorists at the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers.
The statement said suicide bombings targeted an Imambargah in Islamabad, followed by one attack each in Bajaur and Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and another incident in Bannu on Saturday.
The attacks were claimed by Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban belonging to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK) and their affiliates, as well as the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP). Islamabad has increasingly used the term “Khwarij” to describe factions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it says are operating from the sanctuaries across the border.
“Despite repeated efforts by Pakistan to urge the Afghan Taliban regime to take verifiable measures to deny use of Afghan territory by terrorist groups and foreign proxies to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban regime failed to undertake any substantive action against them,” the statement said.
It added that while Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region, “the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority”.
“In this backdrop, Pakistan in a retributive response has carried out intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban of FAK and its affiliates and ISKP at the Pakistan-Afghan border with precision and accuracy,” the press release stated.
Officials said the strikes were “selective” and based on actionable intelligence linking the targeted sites to planners and facilitators of recent attacks inside Pakistan. They maintained that the operation was limited in scope and designed to dismantle infrastructure used to launch cross-border terrorism.
The statement did not give any figures, but Express News, quoting its military sources reported that the seven TTP hideouts in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost were destroyed and more than 80 Khawarij terrorists were killed.
The report identified the destroyed terrorist hideouts as New Centre No 1 Nangarhar, New Centre No 2 Nangarhar, Khawarij Maulvi Abbas Centre, Khost, Khawarij Islam Centre, Nangarhar, Khawarij Ibrahim Centre, Nangarhar, Khawarij Mullah Rehbar Centre Paktika and Khawarij Mukhlis Yar Centre Paktika.
The official statement reiterated Pakistan’s expectation that the interim Afghan government would fulfil its obligations and deny the use of its soil by militants targeting Pakistan. “The safety and security of people of Pakistan comes first and foremost,” the statement emphasised.
It called on the international community to play a “positive and constructive role” by urging the Taliban regime to stand by its commitments under the Doha Agreement to prevent Afghan territory from being used against other countries.
The reference was to the 2020 agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban, under which the latter pledged that Afghan soil would not be used by groups or individuals to threaten the security of other states.
However, Kabul strongly rejected Pakistan’s account of events. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said it had summoned the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul in response to what it described as “Pakistani forces attacks on Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.”
The Afghan Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the violation of Afghan airspace and the bombing of civilians by the Pakistani Army, and considers it a clear violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and a provocative act.”
“It was made clear to the Pakistani side that protecting Afghanistan’s territory is the legal responsibility of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and the responsibility for the negative consequences of such attacks lies with the other side,” the statement added.
Pakistani officials, however, rejected allegations that civilians were targeted, insisting that the strikes were carried out against militant hideouts in border regions used to plan and execute attacks inside Pakistan.
Security sources said the targeted camps were located in terrain along the porous frontier and had long been flagged as hubs for cross-border infiltration. They said that individuals linked to the recent suicide bombings had received logistical and operational support from these locations.
The latest escalation comes amid a renewed wave of terrorism in Pakistan’s western regions. Attacks claimed by the TTP and the ISKP have surged over the past year, straining relations between Islamabad and Kabul and complicating efforts to stabilise the border.
Islamabad has repeatedly demanded that Afghan authorities take “visible and verifiable” action against TTP elements, arguing that their continued presence in Afghanistan undermines bilateral ties and regional security.
Kabul, in turn, has denied allowing any group to use its soil against other countries and has often called for dialogue to resolve differences.
Diplomatic observers say the current crisis could further complicate the already fragile relations between the two neighbours, who share a long and contentious border. While both sides have signalled their positions forcefully, the immediate challenge will be to prevent further deterioration.
For now, Islamabad appears determined to send a clear message that cross-border terrorist attacks will invite a response, even as it calls on Kabul and the wider international community to ensure that Afghan territory is not used to destabilise Pakistan.
