ISLAMABAD
Pakistan’s military has carried out days of airstrikes and artillery barrages against Afghan military installations deep inside Afghanistan, killing more than 300 Afghan forces, Pakistani officials said Saturday, marking a dramatic escalation in cross-border hostilities.
The clashes, which began Thursday night, represent one of the most significant confrontations between the neighboring countries in recent years.
According to Pakistani officials, the violence erupted after Afghanistan launched strikes in response to earlier Pakistani attacks targeting what Islamabad described as militant hideouts.
Pakistan’s Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, provided detailed casualty figures, stating that more than 331 Afghan Taliban forces had been killed and over 500 wounded during the ongoing military operations.
He also claimed that Pakistani forces had destroyed 102 Afghan military posts, captured 22 others, and destroyed 163 tanks and armored vehicles at 37 locations.
State-run media in Pakistan reported Saturday that the air force had carried out strikes targeting key military installations in various areas of eastern Afghanistan overnight and into the early morning.
Pakistan initially said its strikes had targeted seven training camps and hideouts belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group known as the Pakistani Taliban. The TTP is a separate organization but maintains close ties with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban.
There was no immediate comment from Afghan authorities regarding the Pakistani claims. The Taliban-led government in Kabul has previously demanded that Pakistan respect its territorial sovereignty.
By James Kisoo
