Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions rise after cross-border strikes and militant operation

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated again after Islamabad said its forces killed 29 militants in a ground operation and carried out “calibrated strikes” on militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan claimed the operation targeted militant positions in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces, while the Taliban government accused Islamabad of causing civilian casualties and condemned the strikes as an act of aggression.

Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani attacks in eastern Afghanistan killed or injured civilians, according to AFP.

The latest escalation came a day after a deadly attack in Karachi, where four Pakistani security personnel were killed in an assault on a paramilitary facility. The attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has links with the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said operations were carried out against militant targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces, resulting in the deaths of 29 militants.

The Karachi attack triggered a major security operation after an explosives-laden vehicle struck a building belonging to the Sindh Rangers. Militants then entered the compound, opened fire and used grenades, leading to a prolonged gun battle with security forces.

During the 90-minute clash, Rangers personnel, along with Special Security Unit and Anti-Terrorism Force commandos, fought the attackers. Four Rangers personnel were killed, while security forces killed six militants and captured an injured attacker, who was reportedly identified as an Afghan national.

Pakistan said the subsequent cross-border operation was aimed at targeting Jamaat-ul-Ahrar fighters responsible for the Karachi attack.

The incident marks another major rise in tensions between the two neighbours, coming weeks after Pakistan carried out airstrikes on what it described as militant bases inside Afghanistan.

The TTP remains at the centre of the dispute, with Islamabad accusing Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing militants to operate from its territory. Kabul has repeatedly denied the allegations and rejected claims that Afghan soil is being used for attacks against Pakistan.