ISLAMABAD: In a major military escalation along the volatile Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Pakistani security forces conducted a well-coordinated ground operation coupled with targeted strikes against active militant sanctuaries, killing at least 29 fighters. Confirming the development on social media platform X, Pakistan’s Information Ministry stated that the calculated cross-border offensive was executed in direct retaliation for a string of deadly militant incursions across the country. Conversely, Kabul has reacted with sharp condemnation, with Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stating that Pakistan’s aggressive strikes hit civilian settlements, resulting in the casualties of dozens of non-combatants, including women and children.
The cross-border counter-offensive was triggered by a brazen terror attack on Saturday, where heavily armed insurgents carrying automatic weapons and explosives stormed the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in the southern port city of Karachi. While three Pakistani soldiers lost their lives in the initial gunfight, security forces neutralized three attackers and apprehended an injured assailant identified as an Afghan national. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a prominent breakaway faction of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), formally claimed responsibility for the Karachi compound breach. Following the incident, Pakistani authorities authorized immediate strikes on safe havens belonging to the TTP along the porous border, noting that the group maintains operational ties with the ruling Afghan Taliban in Kabul.
This heavy military retaliation is projected to deeply strain the already fractured bilateral relations between Islamabad and Kabul, effectively ending a month-long phase of relative diplomatic calm. The border region has remained highly unstable since February, when Afghanistan initiated counter-strikes following routine Pakistani incursions, leading to hundreds of fatalities over the months. Despite high-level peace talks hosted by China in Beijing last April—where both neighboring states initially agreed to explore peaceful solutions and avoid military escalation—ceasefire understandings have continuously collapsed. Pakistan continues to accuse the Afghan Taliban administration of providing safe harbor to anti-Pakistan elements, a charge that Afghanistan consistently denies.
ലഘു വിവരണം
കറാച്ചിയിൽ പാരാമിലിറ്ററി ആസ്ഥാനത്തിന് നേരെ ഉണ്ടായ ഭീകരാക്രമണത്തിന് തിരിച്ചടിയായി പാകിസ്ഥാൻ സൈന്യം അഫ്ഗാൻ അതിർത്തിയിൽ നടത്തിയ തന്ത്രപരമായ ആക്രമണങ്ങളിൽ 29 ഭീകരർ കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടു. നിരോധിത സംഘടനയായ ടിടിപിയുടെ താവളങ്ങളാണ് പാകിസ്ഥാൻ തകർത്തത്. എന്നാൽ പാക് സൈന്യം സാധാരണക്കാരെയാണ് വധിച്ചതെന്ന് അഫ്ഗാൻ താലിബാൻ ഭരണകൂടം കുറ്റപ്പെടുത്തി. ഈ വർഷം ഏപ്രിലിൽ ചൈനയുടെ മധ്യസ്ഥതയിൽ ഇരുരാജ്യങ്ങളും ചർച്ചകൾ നടത്തിയിരുന്നെങ്കിലും പുതിയ അതിർത്തി വ്യോമാക്രമണത്തോടെ ഇരുരാജ്യങ്ങളും തമ്മിലുള്ള ബന്ധം വീണ്ടും യുദ്ധത്തിന്റെ വക്കിലെത്തിയിരിക്കുകയാണ്.
(With inputs from TNIE)
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