Pakistan on Thursday confirmed that it carried out strikes targeting militants’ hideouts in Afghanistan, amid strong protests from the Afghan leadership, which condemned it as a “brutal act” and said such arbitrary actions are not the cause of any problem. There is no solution.
At least 46 people, including women and children, were killed and several others injured in air strikes by Pakistani warplanes on parts of Barmal district in Paktika province on Tuesday night, which also damaged several houses, according to Afghan officials. .
“Pakistani security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the border areas of Afghanistan,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to a question about Tuesday night’s attacks at the weekly press briefing here.
He said the operation was conducted “on the basis of threat to the security of Pakistani civilians”.
However, the spokesperson stressed that Pakistan has “always given priority to dialogue in matters related to relations with Afghanistan”. “We respect the integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan.” He also said that Pakistan’s security forces and law enforcement agencies regularly conduct operations “against terrorist groups in the border areas”.
“Preparations for these operations are done very carefully,” he said, adding that security of its citizens is Pakistan’s top priority.
The spokesperson reiterated that Pakistan and its citizens are under threat from terrorist elements. “Pakistan is committed to the security of its people,” he said.
Earlier, sources had said that Pakistan targeted four hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants in Afghanistan’s East Paktika province, killing several terrorists.
The Afghan Taliban regime lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over the air strikes and warned of retaliation.
Inayatullah Khwarezmi, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban regime’s Defense Ministry, said the Islamic Emirate considers this brutal act a violation of all international principles and an open aggression.
“Pakistan should understand that such arbitrary actions do not solve any problem,” TOLOnews quoted him as saying.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and some other leaders also condemned Pakistan’s air strikes, with Karzai calling them gross aggression and a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
According to a statement issued by his office, the former president blamed Pakistan’s flawed policies of promoting extremism in the region for the strain in relations between the two countries and stressed that Pakistan needs to reconsider its policies towards Afghanistan. Should be reevaluated.
Abdullah Abdullah, former chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, also said that Pakistan’s air strikes on Paktika province are a clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
Pakistan has been facing a surge in terrorist attacks since the Afghan Taliban came to power in 2021, while it has demanded the Kabul regime to control terrorists using its soil against Pakistan.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
