- The target of today's operation was the militants of the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.
- Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed serious concerns to the Afghan government.
- Islamabad urges Afghan government to take effective measures 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 terrorists belonging to the 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 many other terrorist attacks in the country, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials.
On Saturday, at least seven Pakistan Army soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel and a captain, embraced martyrdom after bravely fighting terrorists while attacking a security forces post in Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) issued a detailed statement on the matter, saying that Pakistan, over the last two years, has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns to the interim Afghan government over the presence of terrorist groups, including the TTP, inside Afghanistan. .
He said that these terrorists pose a serious threat to the security of Pakistan and have constantly used Afghan territory to launch terrorist attacks inside Pakistani territory.
Pakistan attaches paramount importance to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. For this reason, it has always prioritized dialogue and cooperation to confront the terrorist threat.
“We have repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete and effective measures to ensure that Afghan soil is not used as a staging ground for terrorism against Pakistan. We have also asked them to deny safe havens to the TTP and hand over their 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 sponsoring the TTP and using it as a proxy against Pakistan.
“Such an approach against a brother country, which supported the people of Afghanistan through thick and thin, shows shortsightedness. It ignores the support provided by Pakistan to the people of Afghanistan over the past decades.
“We urge these elements in power to rethink the policy of siding with Khwarij terrorists who spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis and take a clear decision to stand with the people of Pakistan,” he added.
The FO further stated that terrorist groups like the TTP are a collective threat to regional peace and security.
“We are fully aware of the challenge faced by the Afghan authorities in combating the threat posed by the TTP. Therefore, Pakistan will continue to work towards finding joint solutions in the fight against terrorism and to prevent any terrorist organization from sabotaging bilateral relations with Afghanistan “the statement concluded.
However, the Afghan Taliban claimed that two airstrikes carried out inside Afghanistan by Pakistani forces had killed several people in the war-torn country.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not allow anyone to compromise security by using Afghan territory,” Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban administration, said in a Reuters report.
It added that the attacks took place in the eastern border provinces of Khost and Paktika.
Army sees terrorist infiltration from Afghanistan behind rise in terror attacks
As the country witnesses another wave of terrorist activities, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has said that the continued use of Afghan soil is behind the “growing terrorism in Pakistan”.
A statement issued by the military's media wing on Monday said Pakistan's security forces have been involved in the war against terrorism for the last two decades.
“It is clear to all that the recent wave of terrorism in Pakistan has the full support and assistance of Afghanistan,” he added.
The statement further stated that the rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan is a result of supply of modern weapons to the country “with the help of the Afghan Taliban”.
The ISPR said there is clear evidence of involvement of Afghan terrorists in the Zhob Garrison attack on July 12, 2023, in which nine soldiers embraced martyrdom and five terrorists were killed.
Clear evidence that terrorists are coming from Afghanistan, the army's media wing said, is the reason behind the increasing incidents of terrorism.
A day after the attack, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said militants were using Afghan soil to carry out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
“Terrorism against us is mainly carried out from Afghanistan,” the Defense Minister said in a media interview in Sialkot.
