KARACHI: Pakistan said it launched strikes on militant targets in Afghanistan after blaming recent suicide bombings, including assaults during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, on fighters it said were operating from its neighbor’s territory.
Women and children were among the dozens killed and injured in Saturday’s attacks, the South Asian nation’s ruling Taliban said, in remarks Reuters could not verify, while its defense ministry vowed an appropriate response at a suitable time.
The strikes bring a sharp escalation in tension just days after Kabul released three Pakistani soldiers in a Saudi-mediated move to ratchet down worries following months of clashes along the rugged frontier.
The attacks featured “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts” belonging to the Pakistani Taliban as well as Islamic State Khorasan Province along the Afghan border, Pakistan’s information ministry said.
In a statement, it added that it had “conclusive evidence” the attacks were carried out by Khwarij, employing a term by which it refers to the Pakistani Taliban.
