Pakistan airstrikes send Taliban a message on militant attacks

Pakistan targets militants based in Afghanistan whom it blames for attacking its security forces.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and other officials attended the funeral of an army officer who was killed in a militant attack. Picture: Getty Images

Just weeks after it launched airstrikes inside Iran, Pakistan has conducted attacks in Afghanistan aimed at militants that it says have been targeting its ­security forces in a worsening wave of violence.

Tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban regime have ­increased since Afghanistan fell to the militant group in 2021. ­Islamabad says the Pakistani militants, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, are based over the border in Afghanistan. The Taliban denies that it hosts Pakistani militants and other international jihadists.

“Certain elements among those in power in Afghanistan are actively patronising TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistan,” said Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry called the TTP a threat to regional peace and security.

Security analysts said Pakistan, which is engulfed in economic and political crises, is telling its neighbours that its defences are as strong as ever.

“This is a signal from Pakistan that whichever neighbour hits us, they will have to pay,” said Ejaz Haider, a security analyst based in Lahore.

A Pakistani security official said the airstrikes on Monday were in response to an attack on Saturday that killed at least seven military personnel. The ­official said the Pakistani air force carried out over a dozen airstrikes and hit seven militant hideouts in response.

The Taliban’s army exchanged fire across the border with Pakistani soldiers following the early-morning airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan.

Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Iran in January after Tehran used missiles and drones to strike what it said were Iranian militants operating from Pakistan’s territory. The two countries subsequently sought to de-­escalate the situation and referred to their relationship as brotherly.

The Taliban, however, has vowed to retaliate over Monday’s strikes, which Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid called “a reckless action”.

Pakistani planes bombed targets in the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost, killing five women and three children, according to the spokesman.

“Pakistan should not blame Afghanistan for the lack of control, incompetence and problems in its own territory,” said Mujahid. “Such incidents can have very bad consequences which will not be in Pakistan’s control.”

The Pakistani security official denied that civilians had been killed. The US State Department said that it regretted the loss of civilian lives caused by the Pakistani airstrikes. It also condemned the attack on Saturday that killed the Pakistani soldiers.

“We urge the Taliban to ensure that terrorist attacks are not launched from Afghan soil and we urge Pakistan to exercise ­restraint and ensure civilians are not harmed in their counter­terrorism efforts,” said the State Department’s deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel.

Pakistani officials said they have grown frustrated after more than two years of trying to persuade the Taliban to take ­action against the Pakistani militants. The Taliban isn’t willing to condemn terrorist attacks happening in Pakistan, they said.

The Taliban’s diplomatic isolation means it can’t afford to alienate militant factions as it fends off attacks from a branch of Islamic State.

Tit-for-tat actions could further destabilise the two fragile nations but are unlikely to spill over into a broader conflict. ­Afghanistan has limited military options, which means that Pakistan could face more militant ­attacks, said analyst Mr Haider.

Further Pakistani airstrikes could happen if the Taliban’s ­behaviour doesn’t change, experts said, now that Islamabad has set a precedent of imposing a cost on what it sees as Taliban support for militants seeking to destabilise Pakistan.

The Taliban and TTP have built close links over the years. Pakistan was a vital sanctuary for the insurgents during the two decades the Taliban was fighting US-led international forces. Pakistani militants also hosted and joined them in the fight.

The Wall Street Journal