Taliban warned of retaliatory action due to Pakistan air strikes in Afghanistan. conflict news

Islamabad, Pakistan – According to security officials, the Pakistani army carried out airstrikes targeting positions of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) armed group in Paktika province in neighboring Afghanistan late on Tuesday night.

Although no official statement was issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry or the military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attack took place in Afghanistan’s Barmal district near Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal district. Happened. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The interim Afghan government, ruled by the Afghan Taliban, also confirmed the attacks but insisted that civilians were targeted. The Afghan Defense Ministry said that several refugees, including women and children, were killed or injured.

“The Pakistani side should understand that such arbitrary measures are not a solution to any problem,” Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Inayatullah Khovarazami wrote on the social media platform X. An inalienable right to one’s own territory,” he said.

The airstrike, the second such incident this year, came just hours after Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Saadi met interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki in Kabul.

“Met Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki today. Had extensive discussions. Sadiq, posted on Twitter, agreed to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and work together to promote peace and progress in the region.

Sadiq’s visit to Kabul, which also included a meeting with Afghan interim Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Monday, came amid deteriorating relations between the two neighbors and analysts say relations are likely to deteriorate further after Tuesday night’s attacks. There is a possibility.

rising attacks

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan government of harboring armed groups, particularly 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 Afghan Taliban denies harboring armed groups or allowing its territory to be used for cross-border attacks, Pakistan claims that the TTP operates from Afghan sanctuaries.

During the UN Security Council briefing last week, Pakistan had said that thousands of TTP fighters have sought refuge in Afghanistan.

“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 a UN briefing.

The data indicates a rise in attacks and deaths, particularly in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and southwestern Balochistan province, which share the border with Afghanistan.

At least 924 deaths have been reported in more than 1,500 violent incidents in the first 10 months of this year, according to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry. The casualties included at least 570 law enforcement personnel and 351 civilians.

Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based research organisation, has reported more than 856 attacks so far in 2024, surpassing the 645 incidents recorded in 2023.

risk of retaliation

Pakistan says it has repeatedly shared evidence with the Afghan Taliban regarding TTP operations, but claims these concerns have not been adequately addressed.

The Pakistani government launched a military operation, Azm-e-Istehkam (“Resolve for Stability”), in June, and security analyst Amir Rana believes the current airstrikes are likely part of this operation.

“Following the recent increase in attacks against security personnel, discussion in military circles has focused on carrying out attacks on Afghan soil. The attacks appear to be a follow-up to the attacks on soldiers last week,” Rana told Al Jazeera.

Rana, who is also the director of Islamabad-based security think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), further said that the visit of Pakistani Special Representative to Afghanistan Sadiq to Kabul may not be linked to Tuesday’s air strikes.

He said, “Sadiq’s visit was about sending a message to the government, and possibly a confidence-building exercise, to share his fears about the increasing attacks by the TTP network operating from Afghanistan.”

Islamabad-based security analyst Ihsanullah Tipu said Pakistan has carried out at least four air strikes on TTP targets in Afghanistan over the past few years, including one in March.

However, Tipu said that a major flaw in Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy is its “incoherent approach”.

“Historically, Pakistan’s approach has been personality-driven rather than strategy-driven. Actions such as cross-border air strikes should be part of a comprehensive and planned policy rather than reactive measures,” Tipu, who is also co-founder of The Khorasan Diary, a security research portal, told Al Jazeera.

Tipu also suggested that although the Afghan government has promised to retaliate, the real response may come from the TTP.

Islamabad-based Tipu said, “The real reaction may come from the Pakistani Taliban, who are already discussing revenge attacks in their internal communications and alleging that their women and children were killed in the attacks.” Went.”

PIPS’s Rana said such cross-border attacks are becoming a norm globally, and added that it is unlikely that Pakistan will face any criticism or consequences from the international community for the air strikes.

“But it is also a big challenge for us, and a matter of introspection that despite four decades of engagement in Afghanistan, we have still not developed the diplomatic skills to interact constructively with the rulers in Afghanistan, whether Whoever he is,” Rana said.

Meanwhile, Tipu stressed that the TTP issue remains a major hurdle for Pakistani-Afghan relations.

“With Sadiq’s reappointment as special envoy, there were hopes for peace between the two countries. “However, Tuesday’s strike could significantly hamper any progress before it formally begins,” he said.