The Pakistani government has carried out both ground operations and targeted strikes along its shared border with Afghanistan, according to an official statement provided by the country’s information minister on Sunday. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed in a social media post that the military action was initiated specifically as a retaliatory measure following multiple recent terrorist incidents occurring within Pakistani territory. According to the minister, this operation was successfully followed by a series of calibrated strikes directed at established hideouts and safe havens used by terrorists within the border region.
Attaullah Tarar reported that at least 29 militants were killed during these military engagements, among whom was a high-ranking commander. To support these claims, the minister shared a blurred but graphic image that allegedly depicted the deceased commander. By the following Monday, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid provided further confirmation, stating that the airstrikes had specifically impacted the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, and Kunar. In a public statement posted on X, Mujahid strongly condemned these Pakistani military maneuvers, labeling the activity a cowardly act of aggression.
These significant border strikes took place only one day after a violent bomb and gun attack occurred in the southern port city of Karachi, which resulted in the deaths of three paramilitary troops. Responsibility for that Karachi attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a known breakaway faction of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also referred to as the TTP. Although the Pakistani Taliban functions as a separate militant organization, it maintains a known alliance with the Afghan Taliban.
For some time, Islamabad has persistently accused the Taliban administration of harboring militants who are responsible for orchestrating deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Conversely, the Afghan Taliban, which solidified its grip on power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, continues to deny these accusations. Consequently, the diplomatic and security relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has continued to deteriorate, spiraling into a cycle of deadly armed conflict throughout their shared border regions in recent months.
