Afghanistan Launches Retaliatory Airstrikes On Militant Hideouts Inside Pakistan

New Delhi: In a major escalation of cross-border hostilities, Afghanistan's Taliban-led government on Friday claimed it carried out overnight airstrikes on alleged ISIS (Daesh) hideouts inside Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, saying the sites were being used to plan attacks against Afghan territory.

According to a statement issued by Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense, the country's Air Force targeted "centres of corruption-monger elements of Daesh" linked to Nasrullah, also known as "Jal-Jalalah," in Pakistan. The ministry alleged that the camps were operating with the support of "certain malicious intelligence circles" and were being used to organise attacks against Afghanistan.

The statement said another strike targeted a Daesh-Khorasan (ISIS-K) facility in the Qambar Khel area of Orakzai Agency in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Afghan authorities claimed that several "important and pre-designated targets" were successfully hit during the operation.

An Afghan government spokesperson reiterated that the strikes were aimed at ISIS and other "destructive groups" allegedly operating from Pakistani territory. "According to initial information, important targets were successfully hit," the spokesperson said.

The Ministry of Defense asserted that Afghanistan "will not tolerate any threat to its security and stability" and warned that it would use "all its capabilities and capacities" to neutralise threats before they materialise.

There was no immediate response from Pakistan's military or government regarding the Afghan claims.

The reported strikes come just days after Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghanistan killed at least 13 people, according to the Taliban administration, further intensifying tensions between the neighbouring countries.

Islamabad has consistently accused Kabul of harbouring militants responsible for attacks in Pakistan, while the Taliban government has denied those allegations and insisted that Pakistan's security challenges are an internal matter.

The latest cross-border action underscores the fragile security situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border despite previous ceasefire efforts and regional mediation, raising fears of renewed military escalation between the two neighbours. 

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