Pakistan Claims 70 Militants Killed in Afghanistan Border Strikes, Kabul Reports Civilian Casualties
Pakistan's military conducted targeted strikes along its border with Afghanistan early on Sunday, asserting that at least 70 militants were killed in operations against hideouts used by groups responsible for recent attacks within Pakistan. However, the Afghan government swiftly rejected these claims, reporting significant civilian casualties and condemning the actions as a violation of its airspace and sovereignty.
Conflicting Accounts of Casualties and Damage
Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan's deputy interior minister, stated in an interview with Geo News that a minimum of 70 militants had been eliminated, though he provided no immediate evidence to support this figure. Pakistan's state-run media later revised the death toll upward to 80 fatalities. In stark contrast, the Afghan Defence Ministry issued a statement confirming that various civilian areas in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika had been struck, including a religious madrassa and multiple residential homes.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid posted on social media platform X that the attacks resulted in dozens killed and wounded, with women and children among the victims. He dismissed Pakistan's claim of 70 militant deaths as inaccurate. Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nangarhar, reported 18 people killed and several others wounded in the aftermath.
Afghanistan's Diplomatic Response and Protests
Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan's ambassador to Kabul to formally protest the strikes. In an official statement, the ministry declared that protecting Afghanistan's territory is the Islamic Emirate's Sharia responsibility and warned that Pakistan would be held accountable for the consequences of such actions. The Afghan Defence Ministry reinforced this stance, condemning the strikes as a clear violation of national sovereignty and airspace.
On Sunday, villagers in Nangarhar were observed clearing rubble from damaged structures, while mourners prepared for funerals. Habib Ullah, a local tribal elder, insisted that those killed were not militants. They were poor people who suffered greatly. Those killed were neither the Taliban, nor military personnel, nor members of the former government. They lived simple village lives, he told The Associated Press.
Pakistan's Justification and Regional Security Concerns
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on X that the military conducted intelligence-based, selective operations against seven camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and its affiliates, adding that an affiliate of the Islamic State group was also targeted. Mr Tarar affirmed that Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region, but underscored that the safety and security of Pakistani citizens remained a paramount priority.
Militant violence has seen a significant surge in Pakistan in recent years, with much of it attributed to the TTP and outlawed Baloch separatist groups. The TTP, while separate, is closely allied with Afghanistan's Taliban. Islamabad accuses the TTP of operating from within Afghanistan, a charge both the group and Kabul deny.
Escalation Following Recent Attacks and Failed Diplomacy
The Pakistani strikes followed a suicide bombing just hours earlier, which targeted a security convoy in the border district of Bannu in Pakistan's northwest, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. Pakistan's military had warned after the attack that it would not exercise any restraint and would press on with operations against those responsible. Last week, another suicide bomber, supported by gunmen, rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security post in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Pakistani authorities later identified the attacker as an Afghan national.
Mr Tarar asserted that Pakistan possessed conclusive evidence that recent attacks, including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed 31 worshippers earlier this month, were carried out by militants acting on the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers. He claimed Pakistan had repeatedly urged Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to take verifiable steps to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan, but alleged that no substantive action had been taken. Mr Tarar also called on the international community to pressure Afghanistan's Taliban authorities to uphold their commitments under the Doha agreement not to allow their soil to be used against other countries.
Analysis of Regional Tensions and Mediation Efforts
In Islamabad, security analyst Abdullah Khan suggested that the Pakistani strikes indicate that Qatari, Turkish, and even Saudi-led mediations have failed to resolve tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. These strikes are likely to further escalate the situation, he warned. A Qatari-mediated ceasefire between the two countries was established after deadly border clashes in October, which resulted in dozens of casualties among soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants.
That violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to conduct strikes deep inside Afghanistan targeting militant hideouts. While the truce between Islamabad and Kabul has largely held, several rounds of talks in Istanbul in November failed to yield a formal agreement, leaving relations strained and the region on edge.
