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Pakistani Airstrikes Target Taliban Hideouts in Afghanistan
Monday’s airstrikes mark a significant escalation in hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan, raising fears of further violence and instability in the region.
ISLAMABAD — Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated on Monday as Pakistani airstrikes targeted suspected hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban inside Afghanistan, leading to retaliatory attacks by the Afghan Taliban. The exchange of fire follows a recent suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed seven soldiers, with both incidents exacerbating longstanding tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.
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Confirming the airstrikes, the Foreign Office in Islamabad described them as “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” aimed at a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban. The Afghan Taliban condemned the strikes as an infringement on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and launched retaliatory attacks on Pakistani military centers along the border.
The violence stems from Saturday’s suicide bombing in Mir Ali, Pakistan, claimed by a newly formed militant group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad. In response, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari vowed retaliation, leading to Monday’s airstrikes in Afghanistan.
The situation underscores the challenges faced by both countries in combating militant groups operating along their shared border and highlights the fragile security situation in the region.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited the families of the soldiers slain in Mir Ali and paid tribute to all the soldiers killed in the attack. Separately, the Pakistani military conducted an operation in North Waziristan near the Afghan border, killing eight militants linked to Saturday’s attack.
The Afghan Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops withdrew after 20 years of war. The Taliban takeover emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, whose leaders and fighters are hiding in Afghanistan. Despite assurances from the Afghan Taliban that they do not allow the Pakistani Taliban to use Afghan soil for attacks, tensions persist between Kabul and Islamabad.
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Adding to the tensions, Pakistan has expelled nearly half a million Afghans in an ongoing crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The deportations have drawn criticism from the international community and raised concerns about radicalization among those forced out of Pakistan.
