Islamabad, Sept 24. (dpa/GNA) ā Pakistan has launched fresh airstrikes in neighbouring Afghanistan, targeting military installations in the border regions, in response to drone attacks by the Taliban government a day earlier, officials said on Thursday.
Pakistani Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said in a post on X that Pakistani fighter jets and drones, targeted Afghanistanās bases in 10 locations overnight in precision strikes. “Any violation of Pakistanās sovereignty will be met with an immediate and decisive response,” he warned.
The strikes hit Taliban positions in the Afghan provinces of Kandahar, Khost, Paktia and Paktika, dpa learned from security sources.
Other sources in Islamabad, meanwhile, said they expected a further escalation, with Taliban counter-strikes already anticipated overnight.
At least 40 fighters were said to have been killed in Afghanistan. Such figures generally cannot be independently verified.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, wrote on X that four civilians were killed in the Pakistani airstrikes. He did not provide further details on casualties or damage caused by the attacks.
Mujahid described Pakistan’s actions as a “brazen aggression” and questioned Islamabad’s justification for the strikes.
Security in Pakistan has deteriorated significantly in recent months. At least 22 people were killed in an attack in the city of Kohat last Friday.
The Islamist coalition Ittihad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, which has links to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Islamabad accuses the Taliban in Afghanistan of harbouring terrorists, who carry out attacks in Pakistan. Kabul rejects the accusations.
The conflict between the two neighbouring countries broke out openly about a year ago. Pakistan subsequently closed its border crossings with Afghanistan, with severe consequences for the supply of food and humanitarian goods in Afghanistan.
At the end of February, Pakistan’s Defence Minister declared an “open war” with Afghanistan. Since then, Islamabad has repeatedly launched strikes on targets in Afghanistan, particularly following attacks on Pakistani soil.
GNA