Pakistan conducted cross-border strikes on militant targets in Afghanistan in response to recent suicide bombings, which they attributed to militants operating from Afghan territory. This move comes amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, following the release of three Pakistani soldiers by Kabul as part of efforts to ease border clashes.
According to a statement dated February 21, Pakistan asserted that the attacks were carried out by the Khwarij, a term used to refer to the Pakistani Taliban, under the direction of their leaders based in Afghanistan. The Pakistani military targeted seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State Khorasan Province along the Afghan border.
While Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities were not immediately reachable for comment, Kabul has consistently denied permitting militants to launch attacks on Pakistan from Afghan soil. The recent attacks cited by Pakistan include a bombing at a Shi’ite mosque in Islamabad and incidents in border regions like Bajaur and Bannu, where a suicide bomber targeted a security forces convoy.
The ongoing tensions have led to the closure of key border crossings, disrupting trade and movement along the 1,600-mile frontier between the two countries. Despite a previous ceasefire agreement in October following deadly clashes, Pakistan continues to accuse Afghanistan’s Taliban of supporting militants who carry out attacks within Pakistan, a claim that Kabul refutes.
