PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Airstrikes conducted by Pakistan in eastern Afghanistan have reportedly resulted in the deaths of 46 individuals, predominantly women and children, according to a Taliban official. The incident, which has raised concerns about escalating tensions between the neighboring countries, involved strikes targeting multiple sites in the Barmal district of Paktika province. Additionally, six others sustained injuries during the attack.
Hamdullah Fitrat, the Afghan government’s deputy spokesman, labeled those killed as refugees. This strike occurred just a day after anonymous Pakistani security officials indicated that the operation aimed to dismantle a training facility and eliminate insurgents within Paktika. In contrast, the spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Mohammad Khurasani, asserted that the casualties included 50 individuals, among them 27 women and children, emphasizing they were “unarmed refugees” who had fled to Afghanistan due to military operations in northwestern Pakistan.
The TTP, while separate from the Afghan Taliban, maintains a close alliance with them. They shared imagery claiming to depict children who lost their lives in these attacks. The airstrikes took place shortly after Mohammad Sadiq, who serves as Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, visited Kabul to engage in talks on various matters.
In response to the airstrikes, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani ambassador to express strong objections. The ministry criticized the timing of the strikes, suggesting it was an act to undermine trust between the two nations. They declared that Afghanistan would not tolerate territorial violations and asserted their readiness to defend their sovereignty, noting that such reckless actions would lead to repercussions.
The Pakistani military refrained from commenting on these specific airstrikes but reported the elimination of 13 insurgents during a separate intelligence-led operation in South Waziristan, a district along the border with Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, commended the security forces for their efforts against terrorism without referencing the air assaults in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s Defense Ministry voiced strong condemnation of the strikes and vowed to retaliate. Meanwhile, the situation along the border appeared to continue normally. However, security experts warn of possible retaliatory assaults by the TTP against Pakistan. Syed Muhammad Ali, a security analyst in Islamabad, commented on the heavy losses incurred by Pakistan from TTP strikes, indicating that these casualties prompted the military to pursue insurgent targets in Afghan territory. He noted that Pakistan’s attempts to persuade the Afghan Taliban to curtail TTP activities had proven unsuccessful, resulting in heightened military action.
Despite having faced numerous militant assaults over the past twenty years, Pakistan has seen an increase in such incidents recently. The most recent was this past weekend, where 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed during a TTP attack at a checkpoint in the northwest of the country. Pakistani authorities have accused the Taliban of insufficiently addressing militant operations originating from their territory, a claim the Afghan Taliban government refutes, asserting its commitment to preventing any attacks against other nations.
Regions such as North and South Waziristan have previously served as bases for the Pakistani Taliban, many of whom have since found shelter in Afghanistan. Tensions surged significantly in March when Pakistan reported intelligence operations aimed at insurgents within Afghanistan’s border regions.
