ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces Sunday carried out a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, followed by “calibrated strikes” against militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, officials said. In a post on X, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation was launched in response to multiple militant attacks across the country. In Afghanistan, government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistan’s attacks resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians, including women and children.“We strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression and consider it a crime and an act of brutality,” he said.Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks targeting police and security forces in recent years. Authorities have blamed the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and allied militant groups for most of the violence.The security operation took place a day after militants armed with guns and explosives targeted the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in the southern port city of Karachi, killing three soldiers. Security forces killed three attackers and arrested another assailant, whom the military identified as an Afghan national in wounded condition.