Afghanistan Carries Out Airstrikes in Pakistan
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Afghanistan has carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan, hitting several targets linked to Islamic State Khorasan Province, the Taliban’s Defense Ministry said Friday.
In a statement, the ministry claimed the strikes targeted multiple locations in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The ministry said ISIS-K facilities were hit in the Gulsitan area of Killa Abdullah district and the Shakarab region of Chagai district in Balochistan.
According to the statement, these sites were being used to plan attacks inside Afghanistan.
The Taliban also said additional targets were struck in the Kambar Khel area of Orakzai district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming the locations were also linked to ISIS-K operations.
The ministry alleged that 'senior leaders' of the militant group were killed in the operation, but did not provide any evidence to support the claim.
Pakistan has not issued an official response to the reported strikes as of publication.
The Islamic State’s regional affiliate has maintained an active presence across Afghanistan and surrounding regions, a point of ongoing disagreement between the Taliban and regional governments.
The United Nations and several regional countries have repeatedly warned about ISIS-K’s continued presence and its ability to conduct attacks inside and outside Afghanistan.
In recent reports, UN monitoring teams said that despite Taliban counterterrorism operations, ISIS-K continues to maintain a presence in Afghanistan.
However, the Taliban has consistently downplayed the threat, claiming that many of the group’s operational bases are located inside Pakistan.
If confirmed, the reported strikes would mark a rare instance of the Taliban carrying out public military operations against targets inside Pakistan, potentially escalating already rising tensions between the two sides.
Relations between the Taliban and Islamabad have deteriorated in recent years amid border disputes, cross-border militancy, and mutual accusations of harboring armed groups.
Pakistan has repeatedly alleged that militants operating against its territory use Afghan soil, claims the Taliban denies.
Source: Amu TV ( Adapted)
