Afghanistan Hits Back At Pakistan, Launches Airstrikes On ISIS Hideouts In Balochistan And Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has confirmed that its Air Force carried out airstrikes on ISIS (Daesh) hideouts inside Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, marking a major escalation in the already tense relationship between the two neighbouring countries.

According to Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence, the targeted locations were being used as operational centres to plan sabotage missions and attacks against civilians inside Afghanistan.

The ministry said the operation was carried out with precision, inflicting heavy casualties and significant material losses on ISIS fighters and their supporters, while stressing that no civilian casualties were reported.

‘Any Threat To Afghanistan Will Be Targeted’

In an official statement, the Afghan Ministry of Defence stated that the strikes were conducted on what it described as joint centres of ISIS militants and ‘mischief and corruption’ networks in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Taliban-led Afghan government has specifically identified the Saranan area of Pishin district in Balochistan as one of the main targets, saying preliminary information indicated heavy losses among ISIS members, their support networks and infrastructure.

The Taliban government also said that attacks were carried out on ISIS centres near Saranan in Balochistan and around Peshawar, claiming the camps were actively being used to plan attacks inside Afghanistan. Reiterating its position, the ministry warned that any location used to undermine Afghanistan's security would continue to be targeted.

Kabul Vs Islamabad

The Afghan operation comes hours after Pakistan launched joint Army and Air Force strikes in Afghanistan's eastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. Islamabad said that the operation was carried out following the attack on the Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi and claimed around 25 militants were killed during the strikes.

Pakistan described the operation as a well-planned intelligence-based mission conducted with aerial and ground support, saying it was launched in retaliation for a series of militant attacks targeting security camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and the Rangers headquarters in Karachi.

The Karachi attack saw militants ram a vehicle into the main gate of the Sindh Rangers headquarters before opening heavy gunfire. Pakistani authorities said three Rangers personnel and three attackers were killed. An affiliate of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter faction of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), later claimed responsibility for the assault.

Afghanistan Alleges Heavy Civilian Casualties

The Taliban-led Afghan government accused Pakistan of killing civilians during its cross-border airstrikes. Deputy spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed while 163 others were injured. He also claimed three residential houses were completely destroyed. According to Fitrat, Pakistani fighter jets first struck a civilian house in Mandokhail village of Paktia province, killing an elderly man and a child while injuring other family members.

He further alleged that when villagers gathered to rescue victims, the same location was bombed again, resulting in the deaths of 28 people and injuries to 158 others.

Another strike reportedly hit a residential house in Walust village of Paktika province, killing six civilians, most of them women and children. A third strike in Barolo village of Kunar province destroyed another civilian house, although no casualties were reported there.

India Condemns Pak Strikes On Afghanistan

India strongly condemned Pakistan's airstrikes on Afghan territory, calling them a blatant violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty and a threat to regional peace and stability. 

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs described the strikes as part of Pakistan's ‘persistent pattern of reckless behaviour’ and accused Islamabad of trying to externalise its internal failures through cross-border military action. 

India also expressed condolences to the families of those killed, wished a speedy recovery to the injured, and reiterated its support for Afghanistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.