Afghanistan says it targeted ISIS hideouts in Pakistan after recent cross-border tensions

Kabul- Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence on Wednesday claimed that its air force carried out strikes on alleged ISIS-linked targets inside Pakistan, marking a significant escalation in cross-border tensions between the two neighbours.

In an official statement, the Ministry said the overnight operation targeted what it described as ISIS facilities in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

According to the Afghan authorities, one of the strikes hit an alleged ISIS command centre in the Saranan area of Pishin district in Balochistan. The Ministry claimed the facility was being used to coordinate sabotage operations and bomb attacks against civilians in Afghanistan.

It also said Afghan aircraft struck another alleged ISIS base in the Qambar Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as a separate facility in the Garam Chashma area of the Shah Salim Valley in Chitral. The Ministry alleged that these locations were being used to plan attacks against Afghan civilians.

Advertisement

Based on preliminary assessments, the Afghan Ministry claimed the operation caused heavy casualties and significant damage to ISIS and its supporters. It also asserted that the strikes were conducted with precision and did not result in civilian casualties.

The Ministry warned that Afghanistan's air defence forces would continue to target any location used to threaten the country's security.

The reported strikes come just days after Afghanistan accused Pakistan of carrying out airstrikes on June 28 in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar.

According to Taliban Deputy Spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat, the Pakistani strikes killed 36 civilians, including women and children, injured 163 others and destroyed three residential houses.

Earlier this week, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan's Chargé d'Affaires in Kabul to lodge a strong protest over what it described as violations of Afghan airspace and the bombing of civilian homes.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry condemned the alleged Pakistani strikes as a "flagrant violation of international law, humanitarian law and the sovereign integrity of states."

With inputs from IANS