'Act Of Brutality': Kabul Tears Into Pakistan Over Cross-Border Strikes, Releases Haunting Images Of Injured Children

New Delhi: The Pakistani security forces on Sunday carried out a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, followed by ‘calibrated strikes’ against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29, officials said.

According to officials, the campaign, led by the Pakistan Army and Air Force, targeted sites across Afghanistan’s Paktika, Paktia, and Kunar provinces during the night, resulting in the reported deaths of 29 individuals.

Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that the mission was a 'well-planned, intelligence-based' operation and further stated that the kinetic came in the wake of “recent multiple terrorist incidents inside Pakistan against the innocent people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Camp, Karachi.”

Regarding the Karachi incident, security forces reported killing six attackers and capturing one wounded assailant, whom the military identified as an Afghan national. 

The attack on the Rangers facility was claimed late Saturday by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, further heightening security tensions across the country.

Afghanistan hits out

Following the ghastly attack, Kabul has officially denounced Pakistan’s recent border airstrikes as an act of aggression, accusing Pakistani forces of targeting civilian populations.

In a move to highlight the human cost of the operation, Afghan authorities released images showing women and children injured in the attack, condemning the violence as a brutal assault on innocent civilians.

Taking to X, Spokesman of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid said, “Crime and Aggression: Last night, the Pakistani military once again carried out airstrikes on civilian areas in Gayan District of Paktika Province, Tsamkani District of Paktia Province, and Manogai District of Kunar Province, Afghanistan.”

He added, "The attacks resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians, including women and children. We strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression and consider it a crime and an act of brutality."

Notably, the latest operations are likely to further strain already tense relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

Cross-border violence between neighbours

Sunday’s cross-border strikes and ground operation came less than three weeks after Pakistan’s military launched airstrikes on what it said were militant hideouts in Afghanistan. They ended about a month of relative calm following what Islamabad had described as an “open war” between the neighboring countries, despite international efforts to broker a lasting peace.

The escalation follows months of tit-for-tat military action between the two countries. Hundreds of people have been killed in cross-border fighting since February, when Afghanistan launched retaliatory strikes after Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghan territory.

Multiple rounds of internationally mediated peace talks have failed to secure a lasting ceasefire. China also hosted the two sides in April and Beijing later said Pakistan and Afghanistan had agreed not to escalate their conflict and to explore a solution.

Pakistan since last year has carried out multiple strikes along the border and inside Afghanistan, targeting alleged hideouts of TTP and other militants. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan’s Afghan Taliban government of harboring militants who carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the TTP. Kabul, however, denies the charge.

Also Read: Pakistan Launches Airstrikes In Afghanistan Targeting 3 Provinces Following Karachi Attack On Rangers HQ