Five women and three children were killed in two airstrikes that Pakistan carried out within Afghan territory, according to the Taliban in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for the group denounced the bombings as an infringement on its sovereignty.
The strikes occurred as the neighboring countries argued about who was to blame for the most recent militant assaults in Pakistan, which claims the attacks originated in Afghanistan, a claim that is refuted by the country’s governing Taliban.
The Taliban government’s spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid, issued a statement saying, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory.”
He said that in the eastern border regions of Khost and Paktika, the strikes claimed the lives of five women and three children.
The IEA spokeswoman stated, “Pakistani planes bombed the houses of civilians last night at around 3 am.” He continued by saying that six civilians were killed as a result of the attacks, including three women and three children in Paktika and two more women who perished when a home in the province of Khost collapsed.
While Khost is situated close to North Waziristan, the province of Paktika is situated close to the South Waziristan area of Pakistan.
“The person named Abdullah Shah, who the Pakistani side claims was targeted in the incident, is in Pakistan, on the other hand, there is a tribe living on both sides of this region who have daily trips and close relationships,” said Mujahid.
According to the Taliban spokesperson, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns these attacks and calls this reckless action a violation of Afghanistan’s territory. It also warns that anyone attempting to “invade its territory” will be met with resistance from the interim government, which has “long experience of freedom struggle against the superpowers of the world.”
The spokesman further exhorted the next administration to cease the “continuation” of incorrect policies that “benefit others” and damage ties between the two countries.
Mujhahid issued a warning about the possibly disastrous effects of such situations, stating that Pakistan may not be able to manage the consequences. The official stated, “Such incidents can have very bad consequences which will be out of Pakistan’s control.”
The Taliban further emphasized that the IEA “will not tolerate” any conduct that puts people’s safety at risk inside its boundaries.
Just one day prior to the airstrikes, President Asif Ali Zardari had threatened reprisal after seven soldiers—two of whom were officers—were killed in a terrorist attack on a security forces position in North Waziristan.
Seven troops were killed on Saturday in a terrorist attack in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, including a captain and a lieutenant colonel.
According to the ISPR, soldiers stopped the first attempt to break into the army base early in the morning, but six terrorists subsequently drove a car packed with explosives into it and detonated several suicide bombs.
Five courageous troops lost their lives as a consequence of the attacks, which caused a section of the structure to collapse.
Among the troops who lost their lives were Havildar Sabir, a citizen of Khyber district; Naik Khurshid, a citizen of Lakki Marwat district; Sepoy Nasir, a citizen of Peshawar; Sepoy Raja, a citizen of Kohat; and Sepoy Sajjad, a citizen of Abbottabad.
All six terrorists were fired down by Pakistani army forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali during the subsequent clearance operation. On the other hand, two Karachi residents, 39-year-old Lt Col Ali and 23-year-old Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar of Talagang, accepted martyrdom.
The news was verified by Pakistan’s foreign ministry, which stated that the country conducted intelligence-driven counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan’s border regions this morning.
“The terrorists from the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group were the focus of today’s operation. They, together with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are accountable for several terrorist strikes inside Pakistan that have claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officers. Seven Pakistani troops were killed in the most recent incident, which occurred on March 16, 2024, at a security station in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, according to a statement from the government.
Pakistan has often expressed to the interim Afghan government over the last two years its grave worries over the existence of terrorist groups, such as the TTP, within Afghanistan. These terrorists often exploit Afghan land as a springboard for terror strikes into Pakistani territory, posing a serious danger to Pakistan’s security.
Pakistan places a high value on Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Thus, in order to counter the terrorist danger, it has always placed a high priority on communication and collaboration. “We have always pushed the Afghan government to act decisively and decisively to guarantee that Afghan territory is not used as a terrorist training ground against Pakistan. Additionally, we have urged them to stop providing TTP with safe havens and to give Pakistan control of the group’s leadership,”
Pakistan holds the people of Afghanistan with the highest regard. But certain factions within Afghanistan’s ruling class deliberately support the TTP and use them as a stand-in for Pakistan. Such a strategy shows shortsightedness since it goes against the wishes of a brotherly nation that has supported the Afghan people through thick and thin. It disregards the assistance Pakistan has provided to the Afghan people for the past few decades. We implore those in positions of authority to reconsider their support for terrorists from the Khwarij group who are killing innocent Pakistanis and to firmly decide to stand for the country’s citizens.
Regional peace and security are collectively threatened by terrorist organizations such as TTP. “We are completely aware of the difficulties Afghan authorities have in containing the TTP threat. Thus, Pakistan will keep trying to establish cooperative ways to combat terrorism and stop any terrorist group from undermining ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan on a bilateral basis, the statement continued.
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