Pakistan conducted anti-terrorist operation in ‘border areas based on security threats’: FO – Pakistan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO) stated on Thursday that Pakistani forces are carrying out “operations in border areas to protect the people of Pakistan from terrorist groups”, a day after the Taliban administration accused the country of carrying out a air attack on its territory.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained due to frequent border skirmishes as Islamabad repeatedly demanded Kabul take action against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the accusations.

The FO spokesperson’s statement, the government’s first formal word on the matter, comes after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in the neighboring country on Tuesday, which security officials said targeted several suspected terrorists.

Pakistani security officials said late Tuesday that fighter jets bombed four locations, believed to be TTP camps, in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, targeting and neutralizing several suspected terrorists.

The Afghan Taliban regime subsequently lodged a strong protest with Islamabad over an airstrike, warning that Afghanistan’s territorial sovereignty was a red line for the ruling Islamic Emirate.

In a written statement issued in response to a dawn.com query, the FO said: “Our security and law enforcement personnel carry out operations in border areas to protect the people of Pakistan from terrorist groups. “These counterterrorism operations are carefully selected and based on accurate intelligence.”

The official stressed that Pakistan “has always prioritized dialogue on issues related to ties with Afghanistan.”

“We respect the integrity and sovereignty of Afghanistan,” he said.

Stating that protecting its citizens was Pakistan’s top priority, the FO spokesperson reiterated that there were “threats posed by terrorist elements to Pakistan and its citizens.”

“Pakistan is committed to the safety of its public,” Baloch said.

Baloch added that Special Representative Sadiq Khan met with several Afghan officials in Kabul and that the two countries remain in contact to “discuss security, border management, trade and many other issues.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson emphasized that social media messages “coming from terrorists” cannot be believed.

“We don’t communicate with other countries through the media,” he said. “Pakistan has clear communication channels with the Afghan administration. “We have been in continuous contact with Afghanistan for the last two days.”

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul on Wednesday afternoon and handed him a formal protest note over the shelling “near the Durand Line in Bermal district.” of Paktika province”.

The ministry, in its statement, said the “violation” was condemned and alleged that the move was “an attempt by certain Pakistani factions to create mistrust between the two countries” while the two sides held talks.

The UN demands an investigation

Meanwhile, the UN mission in Afghanistan called for an investigation into the airstrikes.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama) said it had “received credible reports that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed in airstrikes by Pakistani military forces in Paktika province, Afghanistan, on December 24.”

“International law obliges military forces to take necessary precautions to prevent harm to civilians,” the agency said in a statement, adding that “an investigation is necessary to ensure accountability.”

Past climbs

In March, the FO confirmed that Pakistan had carried out “intelligence-based counter-terrorism operations” inside Afghanistan’s border regions, hours after Kabul said airstrikes on its territory had killed eight people.

FO said that the main targets of the operation carried out today morning were terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, adding that the group, along with the TTP, was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, which resulted in “ the death of hundreds of people.” civilians and law enforcement officials.

The last such attack took place on March 17 at a security post in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, claiming the lives of seven Pakistani soldiers.

In July, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said bbc In an interview, Pakistan “will continue to launch attacks against Afghanistan as part of a new military operation aimed at fighting terrorism.”

“It is true that we have been conducting operations in Afghanistan and will continue to do so. We will not serve them with cakes and pastries. If they attack us, we will fight back,” Asif had told the outlet.


With additional contributions from AFP.



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