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27-12-2024
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD/ KABUL: The Pakistani military conducted air raids in neighboring Afghanistan late on Tuesday night, targeting hideouts of the Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, armed group in Paktika province, according to security officials.
While no official statement was issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or military media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attacks took place in the Barmal district of Afghanistan, near Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The interim Afghan government, ruled by the Taliban, also confirmed the attacks but insisted that civilians had been targeted. The Taliban spokesperson’s office told Al Jazeera that at least 46 people, including women and children, were among those killed in air raids.
“The Pakistani side should understand that such arbitrary measures are not a solution to any problem,” Enayatullah Khowarazami, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry, wrote on social media platform X. “The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered and considers the defense of its territory an inalienable right,” he added, referring to Afghanistan by the name given by the Taliban government.
The air raids, which were conducted for the second time this year, came just hours after Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadi, met interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.
“Met Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Held wide-ranging discussions. Agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote peace and progress in the region,” Sadiq posted on X.
Sadiq’s visit to Kabul, which also included a meeting with Afghan interim Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Monday, took place amid deteriorating relations between the two neighbors, and ties are likely to sink further following the Tuesday night attacks, say analysts.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan government of harboring armed groups, especially the TTP, which it claims carries out cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani security forces.
Last week, TTP fighters claimed responsibility for killing at least 16 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan in one of the deadliest recent attacks on security personnel.
While the Taliban denies providing refuge to armed groups or allowing their territory to be used for cross-border attacks, Pakistan asserts that the TTP conducts its operations from Afghan sanctuaries.
During a United Nations Security Council briefing last week, Pakistan said thousands of Pakistan Taliban fighters have sought shelter in Afghanistan.
“The TTP, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed terrorist organization operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our border, it poses a direct and daily threat to Pakistan’s security,” Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadoon said at the UN briefing. Data indicates a rise in attacks and deaths, particularly in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and southwestern Balochistan province, both of which border Afghanistan.
According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, more than 1,500 violent incidents in the first 10 months of this year have resulted in at least 924 deaths. Among the casualties were at least 570 law enforcement personnel and 351 civilians.
The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based research organization, reported more than 856 attacks so far in 2024, surpassing the 645 incidents recorded in 2023.
