Afghan forces have targeted “several checkpoints” in Pakistan in response to airstrikes carried out by Pakistan earlier this week, the Taliban’s defense ministry announced on Saturday.
On Tuesday, Pakistan’s airstrikes reportedly targeted alleged hideouts of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), amid rising accusations from Pakistani officials of cross-border militant attacks. The strikes occurred against the backdrop of escalating violence targeting Pakistani civilians and security forces in recent weeks.
Although the Afghan defense ministry’s statement did not explicitly name Pakistan, it described the retaliatory strikes as being conducted “beyond the assumptive lines.” Afghan authorities use this term to refer to the disputed border with Pakistan.
A Pakistani security source reported that the skirmishes resulted in injuries to three Pakistani soldiers and inflicted “heavy casualties” on the Afghan side.
“Several locations beyond the assumptive lines, used by malicious elements for organizing and coordinating attacks in Afghanistan, were targeted in retaliation from the southern side of the country,” the Afghan defense ministry stated on X.
