ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday said it had downed multiple drones and conducted “precision strikes” against militant infrastructure inside Afghanistan, with the Taliban authorities saying the strikes had hit civilians and damaged infrastructure in capital Kabul and other border provinces.
The latest exchange marks a sharp escalation in a conflict that began last month when Islamabad launched a sustained aerial campaign inside Afghanistan, saying it was targeting sanctuaries of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group responsible for a surge in attacks within Pakistan. The Afghan government denies the allegations.
A Pakistani security official confirmed on Friday that the strikes were carried out last night, destroying “four key locations,” including infrastructure of a corps headquarters and an ammunition dump in Kabul, a militant training camp in Kandahar, an oil storage facility in Kandahar, and a militant camp in Paktia.
“The message is clear: no let-up, no negotiations, and no delegation sent by Pakistan,” the official, who requested anonymity, told Arab News.
“There is just one consistent demand from the Afghan Taliban regime: stop supporting terrorists and harboring terrorist leadership or face the consequences.”
