ISLAMABAD: Continued military action by Pakistan and Afghanistan against each other risks entrenching a “cycle of retaliation” rather than curbing militancy, analysts warned on Sunday, following Pakistan’s latest cross-border airstrikes in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s information ministry said the overnight strikes involved “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps” and described them as a retributive response to recent militant attacks inside Pakistan.
While a Pakistani security official said the airstrikes killed more than 80 militants, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the incursions killed and injured “dozens of people, including women and children.”
The exchange marks a further deterioration in ties that have frayed since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions, including mediation attempts involving Qatar, Turkiye and other countries, have failed to yield results.
Abdul Sayed, an independent researcher on security and foreign affairs in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, said Islamabad could conduct more strikes if militant attacks continued inside Pakistan.
