Pakistan hits TTP hideouts in border regions inside Afghanistan amid spike in terror attacks

• Target of today’s operation was Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group militants.
• Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed serious concerns to Afghan govt.
• Islamabad urges Afghan govt on effective action against terrorists. 

Pakistani forces this morning carried out intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the border regions inside Afghanistan against terrorists launching attacks in Pakistan from Afghan soil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said on Monday.

The target of today’s operation was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which along with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for the March 16 attack in Mir Ali, North Waziristan and multiple other terrorist attacks in the country, resulting in deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials.

On Saturday, at least seven Pakistan Army soldiers — including a lieutenant colonel and captain — embraced martyrdom after gallantly fighting with terrorists as they attacked a security forces' post in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The Foreign Office (FO) issued a detailed statement on the matter, saying that Pakistan, for the past two years, has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns to the interim Afghan Government over the presence of terror outfits including TTP inside Afghanistan.

It said that these terrorists pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s security and have consistently used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pakistani territory.

Pakistan accords prime importance to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. It has, therefore, always prioritised dialogue and cooperation to confront the terrorist threat.

“We have repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete and effective action to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used as a staging ground for terrorism against Pakistan. We have also called on them to deny safe havens to TTP and to hand over its leadership to Pakistan,” the FO said.

The statement added that Pakistan has great respect for the people of Afghanistan; however, certain elements among those in power in Afghanistan are actively patronising TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistan.

“Such an approach against a brotherly country, which stood with the people of Afghanistan through thick and thin, manifests shortsightedness. It ignores the support extended by Pakistan to the people of Afghanistan over the last several decades. 

"We urge these elements in power to rethink the policy of siding with Khwarij terrorists shedding the blood of innocent Pakistanis and to make a clear choice to stand with the people of Pakistan," it added.

The FO further stated that terrorist groups like TTP are a collective threat to regional peace and security. 

"We fully realise the challenge Afghan authorities face in combating the threat posed by the TTP. Pakistan would therefore continue to work towards finding joint solutions in countering terrorism and to prevent any terrorist organization from sabotaging bilateral relations with Afghanistan," the statement concluded. 

However, the Afghan Taliban claimed that two air strikes carried out inside Afghanistan by Pakistani forces had killed eight people in the war-torn country.

"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman of the Taliban administration, in a Reuters report.

He added that the strikes took place in the eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika.

Army sees terrorists’ infiltration from Afghanistan behind spike in terror attacks

As the country witnesses another wave of terrorist activities, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said that the continuous use of Afghan soil is behind the “growing terrorism in Pakistan”. 

A statement issued by the military’s media wing on Monday said that Pakistan’s security forces have been engaged in the war against terrorism for the past two decades.

“It is clear to all that the recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan has full support and assistance of Afghanistan,” it added.

The communique further stated that the rise in terror attacks in Pakistan is a result of supply of modern weapons into the country “with the help of Afghan Taliban”.

The ISPR said that there is clear evidence of Afghan terrorists’ involvement in attack on Zhob Garrison on July 12, 2023, in which nine soldiers embraced martyrdom and five terrorists were killed.

Clear evidence of terrorists coming from Afghanistan, the military’s media wing said, is the reason behind growing incidents of terrorism.

A day after the attack, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said militants were using Afghanistan soil to carry out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.

“Terrorism against us is mostly being conducted from Afghanistan,” the defence minister had said while speaking to the media in Sialkot.