Where Were the Airstrikes Carried Out?
Pakistan conducted multiple overnight airstrikes inside Afghanistan, targeting areas close to the shared border. According to officials in Islamabad, seven suspected militant camps and hideouts were hit during what they described as intelligence-based operations. Authorities said the strikes followed recent suicide bombings inside Pakistan.
What Did the Taliban Say About Casualties?
The Taliban’s defence ministry stated that the attacks struck civilian locations in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. At least 18 people were reported killed, including women and children. Some early reports suggested the number of fatalities could be higher.
What Happened in Girdi Kas Village?
In Girdi Kas village of Bihsud district, Nangarhar, a resident named Shahabuddin said that only five out of 23 members of his family survived after their house was destroyed. Local Taliban spokesperson Sayed Taib Hamd confirmed that 18 relatives had died. Initial information indicated that around 20 people were believed to have been killed.
What Was Reported in Paktika Province?
In the Bermal and Urgun districts of Paktika province, a guesthouse and a religious school were targeted. Local officials and residents said the buildings were empty at the time of the strikes, and no deaths were reported in those areas.
How Did Islamabad Justify the Operation?
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting described the operation as “intelligence-based selective targeting.” The statement said the strikes focused on members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, referred to by the government as “Fitna al Khawarij,” along with affiliated groups and Islamic State-Khorasan Province fighters.
Officials characterized the action as a “retributive response” to recent suicide attacks and claimed there was “conclusive evidence” that the assaults were directed from leadership based in Afghanistan.
What Attacks Recently Occurred in Pakistan?
Among the recent incidents was an attack on a Shia mosque in the capital, Islamabad. Since the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, several other bombings and armed assaults have also taken place in the north-western Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
How Did the Taliban Respond?
The Taliban condemned the airstrikes as a clear violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and international law. In an official statement, they warned that an “appropriate and measured response” would be delivered. They also argued that attacks on civilian homes and religious institutions reflected intelligence and security failures by Pakistan’s military.
What Is the Background to the Border Tensions?
The latest strikes come months after intense cross-border clashes that ended with a fragile ceasefire in October. Those confrontations were considered the most serious fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
Earlier this week, three Pakistani soldiers captured in Kabul during the October clashes were released through mediation by Saudi Arabia. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a mountainous border stretching approximately 2,574 kilometers, which remains a source of ongoing tension.
Source
For more details, visit BBC News .