Pakistan air strikes in Afghanistan spark Taliban warning of retaliation

Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani subject conducted aerial raids successful neighbouring Afghanistan precocious connected Tuesday night, targeting hideouts of the Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP, equipped radical successful Paktika province, according to information officials.

While nary authoritative connection was issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs oregon subject media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attacks took spot successful the Barmal territory of Afghanistan, adjacent Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal territory successful Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The interim Afghan government, ruled by the Taliban, besides confirmed the attacks but insisted that civilians had been targeted. The Taliban spokesperson’s bureau told Al Jazeera that astatine slightest 46 people, including women and children, were among those killed successful aerial raids.

“The Pakistani broadside should recognize that specified arbitrary measures are not a solution to immoderate problem,” Enayatullah Khowarazami, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry, wrote connected societal media level X. “The Islamic Emirate volition not permission this cowardly enactment unanswered and considers the defence of its territory an inalienable right,” helium added, referring to Afghanistan by the sanction fixed by the Taliban government.

The aerial raids, which were conducted for the 2nd clip this year, came conscionable hours aft Pakistan’s peculiar typical for Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadi, met interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi successful Kabul.

“Met Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Held wide-ranging discussions. Agreed to enactment unneurotic to further fortify bilateral practice and beforehand bid and advancement successful the region,” Sadiq posted connected X.

Sadiq’s sojourn to Kabul, which besides included a gathering with Afghan interim Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani connected Monday, took spot amid deteriorating relations betwixt the 2 neighbours, and ties are apt to descend further pursuing the Tuesday nighttime attacks, accidental analysts.

Increasing attacks

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan authorities of harbouring equipped groups, particularly the TTP, which it claims carries retired cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani information forces.

Last week, TTP fighters claimed work for sidesplitting astatine slightest 16 Pakistani soldiers successful South Waziristan successful 1 of the deadliest caller attacks connected information personnel.

While the Taliban denies providing refuge to equipped groups oregon allowing their territory to beryllium utilized for cross-border attacks, Pakistan asserts that the TTP conducts its operations from Afghan sanctuaries.

During a United Nations Security Council briefing past week, Pakistan said thousands of Pakistan Taliban fighters person sought structure successful Afghanistan.

“The TTP, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed violent organisation operating successful Afghanistan. With harmless havens adjacent to our border, it poses a nonstop and regular menace to Pakistan’s security,” Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadoon said astatine the UN briefing.

Data indicates a emergence successful attacks and deaths, peculiarly successful Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state and southwestern Balochistan province, some of which borderline Afghanistan.

According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, much than 1,500 convulsive incidents successful the archetypal 10 months of this twelvemonth person resulted successful astatine slightest 924 deaths. Among the casualties were astatine slightest 570 instrumentality enforcement unit and 351 civilians.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based probe organisation, reported much than 856 attacks truthful acold successful 2024, surpassing the 645 incidents recorded successful 2023.

Risk of retaliation

Pakistan maintains that it has repeatedly shared grounds with the Taliban regarding TTP operations but claims these concerns person not been adequately addressed.

The Pakistani authorities launched a subject campaign, Azm-e-Istehkam (Resolve for Stability), successful June, and information expert Amir Rana believes that the latest aerial raids are apt portion of this operation.

“Discussions wrong subject circles person focused connected conducting offensives connected Afghan ungraded aft the caller surge successful attacks against information personnel. These strikes look to beryllium triggered by past week’s attacks connected soldiers,” Rana told Al Jazeera.

Rana, who is besides the manager of Islamabad-based information deliberation vessel Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), further says the Kabul sojourn by Sadiq, Pakistani peculiar typical to Afghanistan, mightiness not beryllium connected to Tuesday’s aerial raids.

“Sadiq’s sojourn was much astir conveying the authorities connection to stock its apprehensions astir expanding attacks by TTP networks which run from Afghanistan, and was apt a trust-building exercise,” helium added.

Ihsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based information analyst, said Pakistan has conducted astatine slightest 4 aerial raid operations connected TTP hideouts successful Afghanistan implicit the past fewer years.

However, Tipu added that a superior flaw successful Pakistan’s Afghanistan argumentation was its “inconsistent approach”.

“Historically, Pakistan’s attack has been personality-driven alternatively than strategy-driven. Actions specified arsenic cross-border aerial strikes should beryllium portion of a broad and well-planned argumentation alternatively of reactive measures,” Tipu, who is besides a co-founder of The Khorasan Diary, a information probe portal, told Al Jazeera.

Tipu besides suggested that portion the Afghan authorities has promised retaliation, the existent effect whitethorn travel from the Pakistan Taliban.

“The existent absorption whitethorn travel from the Pakistani Taliban, who person been discussing revenge attacks successful their interior communications already, alleging that the strikes killed their women and children,” helium said.

Rana from PIPS said specified cross-border attacks are becoming a norm globally, and it was improbable that Pakistan would look immoderate disapproval oregon consequences from the planetary assemblage for the aerial raids.

“But this besides presents a large situation to us, and a substance to introspect, that contempt 4 decades of engagement successful Afghanistan, we inactive person not developed diplomatic skills to clasp dialog with rulers successful Afghanistan, whoever it mightiness be, successful a constructive manner,” Rana said.

Tipu, meanwhile, emphasised that the TTP contented remained a large obstacle to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

“With Sadiq’s reappointment arsenic peculiar envoy, determination were hopes for détente betwixt the 2 countries. However, Tuesday’s strikes whitethorn importantly hinder immoderate advancement earlier it formally begins,” helium said.