Pakistan and Afghanistan: New Strikes Threaten to Escalate the Conflict

Pakistan carried out overnight airstrikes from Sunday into Monday against eastern Afghanistan, targeting armed militants in response to deadly attacks it has recently suffered, raising fears of a further escalation of the conflict.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a statement that “three targets were destroyed in Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar through precision strikes,” referring to three provinces located in eastern Afghanistan. He added that the raids killed 25 militants.

He also stated that the operation included ground operations in border areas targeting the armed group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which is sometimes linked to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

According to Tarar, the overnight Pakistani military operations were carried out in response to an attack on Saturday in the southern city of Karachi that killed three members of the paramilitary forces, as well as to the recent violence in the border provinces.

Meanwhile, Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Monday that the Pakistani airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan had killed or wounded dozens of civilians.

In a statement posted on the X platform, Mujahid condemned the Pakistani military strikes, describing them as a “cowardly act of aggression.”

Pakistan has launched several rounds of airstrikes against Afghanistan in recent months, the latest of which took place earlier this month.

Islamabad accuses the Taliban government of sheltering militants responsible for the surge in attacks, particularly Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has waged a violent insurgency against Pakistan for years.

For its part, Kabul denies that Afghan territory is being used to harbor armed groups and maintains that previous Pakistani airstrikes resulted in civilian casualties.

The border between the two neighboring countries has remained largely closed since violence intensified last October, leading to the suspension of bilateral trade exchanges.