Afghanistan’s Taliban government said on Saturday that it struck “several points” inside neighboring Pakistan.
The attacks comes days after Pakistani aircraft launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan.
What did the Taliban say?
“Several points beyond the hypothetical line, serving as centers and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan, were targeted in retaliation from the southeastern direction of the country,” the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense said in a post on social media platform X.
The statement did not specifically reference Pakistan, instead saying the strikes took place “beyond the “hypothetical line'” — a term used by Afghan authorities to refer to a long disputed border with Pakistan.
This week, Pakistan launched aerial bombardments inside Afghanistan with reports that dozens of people were killed.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern that at least 20 children were among those reportedly killed in the airstrikes in Paktika province.
Pakistan concerned about TTP activity in Afghanistan
Pakistan claims that the airstrikes targeted suspected Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant hideouts.
The TTP is a militant group that has been responsible for numerous attacks in Pakistan.
The strikes came shortly after Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, traveled to Kabul to discuss a range of issues.
Islamabad claims that the TTP is hiding inside Afghanistan, a claim that Kabul denies.
kb/wd (dpa, Reuters)
