The Pakistan-Afghanistan border regions once again trembled with the roar of fighter jets. In recent times, terrorist attacks targeting security forces across Pakistan have increased dramatically. Islamabad firmly believes that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), operating out of Afghanistan, and its affiliated organizations are responsible for all of these attacks. In this context, the Pakistani military has launched a strategic operation to cross the border and eliminate terrorist bases.
Last Saturday, terrorists brazenly attacked the paramilitary Rangers’ regional headquarters in Karachi using a vehicle laden with explosives. During the fierce gun battle that lasted nearly 90 minutes, three Pakistani soldiers lost their lives while three attackers were killed. When one captured suspect turned out to be an Afghan national, and the TTP-affiliated group ‘Jamaat-ul-Ahrar’ claimed responsibility for the attack, the Pakistani government responded with utmost seriousness.
The very next day after the Karachi attack, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) swung into action. Around 12:30 AM, it launched a bombing campaign targeting secret terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces. As part of this operation, Pakistani forces combined ground action and airstrikes simultaneously to destroy the terrorists’ strongholds.
However, the ‘double tap’ strategy employed by Pakistan in these strikes has now become highly controversial. Just 25 minutes after the first round of bombing, Pakistani aircraft carried out a second strike. International media reports state that the second attack occurred precisely when local rescue teams and villagers had gathered to save those injured in the first strike and those trapped under rubble — significantly increasing the death toll.
Contradictory statements are emerging from both countries regarding the number of casualties in these devastating strikes. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed on social media platform ‘X’ that the precision strikes killed 35 (29 in another statement) dangerous TTP militants. However, the Afghan Taliban government clarified that the majority of those killed were women, innocent children, and ordinary civilians.
Afghanistan strongly condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that Pakistan’s strikes, violating Afghanistan’s sovereignty, were an act of cowardice. He accused Pakistan of spreading lies to mislead the world while causing civilian deaths.
Meanwhile, criticism is mounting that Pakistan — which boasts on international platforms of facilitating the resumption of US-Iran peace talks — is constantly picking fights with its neighboring countries. Analysts observe that Islamabad is displaying its double standards by failing to maintain security within its own borders while attacking civilian settlements in neighboring countries.
Due to the Balochistan liberation struggle and border disputes, a cold war has been simmering between Islamabad and Kabul for some time. With the latest airstrikes and retaliatory attacks by Afghan forces, tensions between the two countries have now reached a peak. Experts warn that these border clashes could lead to further instability across the South Asian region in the days ahead.