Islamabad — Pakistan announced Sunday that it carried out air operations against what it described as militant hideouts inside Afghanistan, escalating tensions between the neighboring countries and putting strain on a fragile ceasefire.
According to Pakistan’s information ministry, the military launched “intelligence-led, targeted strikes” on seven sites believed to be used by armed groups responsible for a recent surge of deadly attacks within Pakistan. Officials said the targets included members of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, along with affiliated fighters and individuals linked to the regional branch of the Islamic State.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan acknowledged the strikes, condemning them as a violation of the country’s sovereignty and describing the action as a breach of international law.
Afghan authorities said the airstrikes hit areas in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar Province and Paktika Province, including a religious school and nearby residential buildings.
A senior police official in Nangarhar told Afghan state media that at least 18 people were killed, including women and children. Recovery efforts were reportedly ongoing, with emergency crews searching through debris.
Rising violence fuels tensions
The military action followed a month marked by intensified militant violence inside Pakistan. On Saturday, officials reported that two Pakistani soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, were killed in the country’s northwest. Earlier in the month, a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad claimed dozens of lives.
Pakistan’s information ministry said it possesses “conclusive evidence” that February’s attacks were directed by militant leaders operating from Afghan territory.
The renewed cross-border strikes threaten a ceasefire agreed last October after both sides engaged in some of their deadliest clashes in recent years. Fighting along their disputed 1,600-mile frontier left dozens of civilians dead or injured and culminated in retaliatory attacks, including strikes near Kabul.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghan authorities of allowing the TTP to operate from within Afghanistan, an allegation Kabul has consistently rejected.
In a previous interview, Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that Pakistan intended to eliminate TTP leadership figures believed to be sheltering in Afghanistan and would use “all available means” to do so.
The latest developments signal a significant test for diplomatic relations between the two countries, with regional stability hanging in the balance.
