Pakistan Launches Rare Airstrikes On Suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Hideouts In Afghanistan, Afghan Defence Ministry Condemns Act

In a rare operation, Pakistan conducted airstrikes on Tuesday (24 December), targeting suspected Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan's Paktika province, dismantling a training facility and killing several insurgents, according to four security officials.

This marks the second such attack since March when Pakistan claimed intelligence-based strikes on TTP hideouts along the border regions inside Afghanistan. No immediate comments were available from Pakistan’s military.

The Afghan Defecse Ministry condemned the airstrikes, accusing Pakistan of targeting civilians, including women and children. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers this a brutal act against all international principles and blatant aggression and strongly condemns it," the ministry said, adding that most of the victims were refugees from Waziristan.

Local residents reported at least eight casualties, including women and children, with fears that the death toll may rise. The Afghan Defence Ministry warned Pakistan against such unilateral actions, stating, “The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered but rather considers the defecse of its territory to be its inalienable right.”

The airstrikes occurred hours after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, visited Kabul to discuss bilateral ties and regional cooperation.

Sadiq met with Afghanistan’s acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Discussions reportedly covered trade enhancement and peace initiatives.

Islamabad has long accused Afghanistan of harboring TTP fighters who launch cross-border attacks on Pakistani forces, a claim Kabul denies. The TTP has intensified its attacks since November 2022, following the collapse of a ceasefire brokered by Afghanistan’s government.

The Afghan Taliban’s takeover in 2021 has emboldened the TTP, which has carried out numerous deadly attacks on Pakistani soldiers and police, further straining relations between the two neighbors.