Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in neighboring Afghanistan late Tuesday evening, targeting hideouts of the armed group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Paktika province, security officials said.
While neither Pakistan’s foreign ministry nor the military media arm Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued an official statement, sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attacks took place in Afghanistan’s Barmal district, near Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Afghanistan’s interim government, ruled by the Afghan Taliban, also confirmed the attacks but insisted that civilians had been targeted. The Afghan Defense Ministry said 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,” said Enayatullah Khowarazami, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry. wrote on the social media platform
The airstrikes, the second such incident this yearcame just hours after Pakistan’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Mohammad Sadi met with Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.
“I met Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi today. Extensive discussions were held. We agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote peace and progress in the region,” Sadiq said Posted on X.
Sadiq’s visit to Kabul, which included a meeting with interim Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Monday, came against a backdrop of deteriorating relations between the two neighbors, and relations are expected to deteriorate further following strikes on Tuesday evening, say analysts.
Increasing attacks
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan government of harboring armed groups, particularly the TTP, which it says carries out cross-border attacks on Pakistani security forces.
Last week, TTP militants claimed responsibility for killing at least 16 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan in one of the deadliest attacks on security personnel in recent times.
While the Afghan Taliban denies providing sanctuary to armed groups or allowing their territory to be used for cross-border attacks, Pakistan maintains that the TTP conducts its operations from Afghan sanctuaries.
During a United Nations Security Council briefing last week, Pakistan said thousands of TTP fighters had taken shelter in Afghanistan.
“The TTP is the largest listed terrorist organization operating in Afghanistan with 6,000 fighters. “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.
The data suggests a rise in attacks and deaths, particularly in the restive northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Pakistan Balochistan Provinceboth of which border Afghanistan.
According to Pakistan’s Interior Ministry, more than 1,500 violent incidents have resulted in at least 924 deaths in the first 10 months of this year. The victims included at least 570 police officers 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 number 645 incidents recorded in 2023.
Risk of retaliation
Pakistan claims it has repeatedly provided evidence to the Afghan Taliban regarding TTP operations, but claims these concerns have not been adequately addressed.
The Pakistani government launched a military campaign, Azm-e-Istehkam (“Resolve for Stability”) in June, and security analyst Amir Rana believes the current airstrikes are likely part of that operation.
“Discussions in military circles have focused on conducting offensives on Afghan soil following the recent increase in attacks on security personnel. These attacks appear to have been triggered by last week’s attacks on soldiers,” Rana told Al Jazeera.
Rana, who is also director of the Islamabad-based security think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), further says that the Kabul visit of Sadiq, Pakistan’s special envoy for Afghanistan, may not be related to Tuesday’s airstrikes.
“Sadiq’s visit was more about conveying the government’s message of sharing its concerns about increasing attacks by TTP networks operating from Afghanistan and was probably a confidence-building exercise,” he added.
Ihsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said Pakistan had carried out at least four airstrikes on TTP hideouts in Afghanistan in recent years, including one in March.
However, Tipu added that a major flaw in Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy was its “inconsistent approach”.
“In the past, Pakistan’s approach has been driven by personality rather than strategy. Actions such as cross-border airstrikes should be part of a comprehensive and well-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 pointed out that while the Afghan government has promised retaliation, the actual response may come from the TTP.
“The real reaction could come from the Pakistani Taliban, who have already talked about revenge attacks in their internal communications, claiming that the attacks killed their wives and children,” Islamabad-based Tipu said.
Rana of PIPS said such cross-border attacks are becoming the norm worldwide and that Pakistan is unlikely to face criticism or consequences from the international community over the airstrikes.
“But this also represents a major challenge for us and we must be clear that despite four decades of engagement in Afghanistan, we still have not developed the diplomatic skills to have a constructive dialogue with those in power in Afghanistan, whoever it is may be, to lead,” said Rana.
Meanwhile, Tipu stressed that the TTP issue continues to pose a major obstacle to Pakistan-Afghan relations.
“With Sadiq’s reappointment as special envoy, there were hopes of a détente between the two countries. However, Tuesday’s strikes could significantly hamper any progress before they officially begin,” he said.
