Pakistan-Taliban attacks updates: Exchange of fire at border after 8 killed
Taliban spokesperson says Pakistani air attacks in Afghanistan early on Monday killed at least eight people.
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- The Taliban government said Pakistani jets struck inside Afghan territory early on Monday, killing at least eight people, including five women and three children.
- A Taliban government spokesperson says it “strongly condemns” the attack, calling this “reckless action” a violation of Afghanistan’s territory.
- Pakistan Foreign Ministry later confirmed it targeted “terrorists” in Afghanistan responsible for a deadly suicide attack on Saturday.
- An exchange of fire has been reported at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after the early morning air attacks.
- The incident comes after Pakistan’s President Asif Zardari promised to retaliate following the killing of seven soldiers in a suicide attack on security forces’ post in North Waziristan.
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Thank you for joining us. You can read our news story here on all of today’s developments across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Four Pakistani civilians wounded in cross-border shelling
At least four civilians in Pakistan were wounded by shelling from across the border, according to Kurram district’s hospital administration.
“Mortar firing began early in the morning and lasted for couple of hours,” an official told Al Jazeera. “We received four wounded civilians in a district hospital. They are all stable and were discharged later.”
Separately, at least three military personnel were reported injured due to the shelling, according to military sources in Kurram district.
WATCH: Afghanistan says Pakistani strikes on its territory killed at least 8 people
‘Neither side can really commit with an act of total aggression’
Riccardo Valle, a security researcher and analyst, says that there were cases in the past where Pakistan would strike Afghanistan after an attack which would be followed by a retaliation from the Afghan Taliban.
However, today’s incident has saw a much stronger reaction from the Taliban government.
“The strong statement by the Afghan Taliban surely drew the red line for the Kabul government. However, by juxtaposing the strong statement and the armed retaliation with Pakistan’s air strike, it is evident that there is an imbalance. We can compare it with recent Iran-Pakistan exchange of missiles, for instance,” he told Al Jazeera.
Iran had launched attacks inside Pakistani territory, which Pakistan responded to within 24 hours, targeting what it called hideouts of armed groups in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province.
Valle, who is also affiliated with a non-partisan research platform The Khorasan Diary, added that the Afghan Taliban cannot afford to escalate the issue.
“They can decide to support some militant factions in Pakistan but cannot match the pressure Pakistan can exert through air strikes. Thus, tensions will remain high because neither side can really commit with an act of total aggression.”
Here is more from Pakistan Foreign Ministry statement that we just mentioned:
“Over the past two years, Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns to the Interim Afghan Government over the presence of terror outfits including TTP inside Afghanistan. These terrorists pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s security and have consistently used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pakistani territory.
“We have repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to take concrete and effective action to ensure that the Afghan soil is not used as a staging ground for terrorism against Pakistan. We have also called on them to deny safe havens to TTP and to hand over its leadership to Pakistan.
“Pakistan has great respect for the people of Afghanistan. However, certain elements among those in power in Afghanistan are actively patronising TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistan. Such an approach against a brotherly country, which stood with the people of Afghanistan through thick and thin, manifests shortsightedness.”
Pakistan confirms it carried out attack inside Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has just released a statement, confirming that “this morning Pakistan carried out intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions inside Afghanistan”.
“The target of today’s operation was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which along with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials,” the ministry said in the statement.
We’ll bring you more on this shortly.
Current relations with Afghanistan not what Pakistan would have wanted
A Western diplomat in Islamabad told Al Jazeera that it seems the decades-long relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan has changed course.
“One thing is for sure that the relationship between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban is frayed, which is not how Pakistan thought the situation will be since 2001 until 2021. Pakistan thought it made shrewd investment but the reality is the other way round,” the diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous, told Al Jazeera.
The Afghan Taliban came to power in 1996, after years of civil war in the country following the exit of Soviet forces.
The Taliban rule was notorious for its hardline imposition of Sharia law in the country. The country was practically cut off from the rest of the world, with only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE recognised the Taliban rule which lasted till 2001.
Read our analysis from last year here on how the Taliban’s ties with Pakistan are fraying amid mounting security concerns.
Retaliatory attacks on targets in Pakistan cannot be dismissed
Muhammad Amir Rana, an Islamabad-based security analyst and director of the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies (PIPS), says it is not unusual for the Pakistan Taliban or other armed groups to launch attacks during the month of Ramadan.
“The state institutions have now adopted a tit-for-tat response to any threats. The Taliban are known to support the TTP (Pakistan Taliban), and there have been instances of their own members being involved in attacks in Pakistan,” he told Al Jazeera.
Rana suggests that the possibility of retaliatory attacks on targets in Pakistan cannot be dismissed.
“Unless diplomatic channels are activated, tensions between the two countries are likely to escalate in the coming weeks,” he cautioned.
WATCH: How is Pakistan dealing with threat emanating from Afghanistan?
‘Air strikes appear to be a response to the suicide attack’
Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based researcher on armed groups in South and Central Asia, says the air strikes appear to be a response to the suicide attack two days ago.
“The attack in North Waziristan was extraordinarily large, reportedly involving six suicide bombers and a large truck bomb. The presence of top Pakistani officials, including the president and army chief, at the funerals, suggested potential future cross-border actions by Pakistan,” he told Al Jazeera.
Residents along the border told to evacuate
A local government official in Pakistan’s border regions, who asked not to be named, told the AFP news agency that residents had been instructed to evacuate the area amid the skirmishes.
“Announcements have been made in mosques to empty some areas in Kurram and North Waziristan as clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan continue on and off at the border,” he added.
Those targeted in Afghanistan were ‘refugees’
Malak Noor Khan, a tribal elder in the Sperah district of Khost in Afghanistan, said he saw at least four explosives dropped from drones and jets and that multiple homes were destroyed, one with a woman and her children inside.
“When the drone first came, we all, including women and children, left our homes and went into the trees on the mountainside, it was very cold as there was snow on the ground,” he told AFP news agency.
“All those targeted are refugees from Waziristan, they are not militants, they are not terrorists,” he said.
What has Pakistan said about the air strikes?
Pakistan has so far refused to comment on the air strikes that the Taliban say killed eight people overnight.
However, the media wing of the military, ISPR, said the army carried out an operation in North Waziristan in Pakistan and “eight terrorists”, including a “high-value target commander Sehra alias Janan”, were killed.
The ISPR said Janan was “involved in orchestrating” the attack on Saturday and was “highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies”.
Taliban offered to host negotiations between the TTP and Pakistan
Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, says there have been claims for years of the Taliban giving shelter to the TTP (Pakistan Taliban).
But, he told Al Jazeera, the context of the area is essential because, in Burmal, many people cross the border, “so the tribes are similar, the people are the same people so it’s very difficult to tell them apart”.
“The Taliban have offered to help. They’ve offered to host negotiations between the TTP and Pakistan. They’ve declared the fighting in Pakistan as an illegitimate cause and urged their fighters not to join any such cause,” he said.
“So the Afghan Taliban have been doing whatever they can do, so maybe just blaming them and pushing them to a point of no return isn’t the smartest idea.”
Casualties reported in cross-border firing
Pakistan’s news outlet Dawn.com is reporting that at least one Pakistan army official has been killed and two wounded in a cross-border exchange of fire.
Kurram District Police Officer (DPO) Mazhar Jahan was quoted as saying that security forces were on “high alert” and an emergency status was imposed at all hospitals in the area.
If you’re just joining us
The Taliban government said Pakistani jets targeted civilian houses on Afghanistan soil early this morning, killing at least eight people.
Pakistan’s military, in a statement later today, said it carried out an operation on its soil and killed eight people. It did not address claims made by the Taliban government.
Following the alleged air attacks, cross-border firing was also reported between the Taliban and Pakistan forces.
The incident comes two days after a group of suicide bombers targeted a military check post in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which neighbours Afghanistan, killing seven soldiers.
You can read more about today’s incidents and the events leading up to them here.
New Pakistan gov’t may take tougher stance against Afghanistan
Ihsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based security analyst, adds that with the change in the Pakistan government after recent elections, there is a strong possibility of taking a tougher stance on Afghanistan due to its alleged support for the Pakistan Taliban.
“There are two potential consequences that could arise from these recent air strikes. Firstly, they could potentially bolster the TTP’s position which often portrays itself as a victim of Pakistani aggression. These strikes could help them in their propaganda, fundraising and recruitment drives,” he told Al Jazeera.
“The second outcome is that the air strikes may put pressure on the Taliban administration to re-evaluate its stance and address the concerns that Pakistan has regarding the Pakistan Taliban.
“Following the withdrawal of the US forces, the Taliban needed a new enemy to help them maintain internal ideological, political, and strategic cohesion. Unfortunately, they have found it in the form of Pakistan.”
Taliban says ready to respond to ‘aggressive actions’
Here is what the Taliban said in a statement this morning:
“This morning, Pakistan’s reconnaissance and fighter jets once again entered the territory of Afghanistan during an aggressive action, and bombed the houses of civilians in Paktika’s Burmal and Khost Sepera districts.
“In response to this aggression, the border forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan targeted Pakistan’s military centers along the fictitious line with heavy weapons.
“The country’s defense and security forces are ready to respond to any aggressive actions and will defend their territorial integrity in any situation.”
Taliban attacks ‘seem to be more of a symbolic nature’
Ihsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based security analyst, says that the Pakistani air attacks in Afghanistan appear to be a response to the recent attack by the Pakistani Taliban on a military base in North Waziristan, which resulted in multiple deaths including that of a senior officer.
“Pakistani strikes have occurred in the past, with the Taliban leadership choosing to remain silent on the matter. However, this time, the latest strikes have been confirmed and denounced in a strongly worded statement by the Taliban government,” he told Al Jazeera.
He added that while the Taliban government may not retaliate against these new raids in a “particularly robust manner”, there is a possibility it they could prompt the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) to seek retribution against Pakistan by launching major attacks on key military installations.
“The few retaliatory strikes by the Taliban this morning seem to be more of a symbolic nature to address domestic public sentiments. The current Taliban administration will want to avoid direct confrontation with Pakistan, but are likely wary of the potential consequences of allowing such strikes to go unchallenged, as it could embolden other nations to take similar actions.”
Mortar attack from Afghanistan side
Our team in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad is reporting that a mortar attack from Afghanistan on Pakistan’s border area of Borki district took place followed by exchange of fire across the border.
According to witnesses, three mortar shells were fired from Afghanistan’s Paktia province at the Borki border area of Pakistan, one of which fell near a government school. A general store was also damaged and Borki High School was closed due to fear of further attacks.
Residents started evacuating from both sides. No casualties have been reported so far.
Attacks causing great deal of frustration inside Pakistan
Pakistan says the armed fighters are crossing over from Afghanistan to carry out attacks in Pakistan.
The air strikes come two days after seven Pakistani soldiers were killed. At the funeral, Pakistan’s president promised a response and it looks like the response has come.
When you speak to people and the military, they tell us that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, they’ve seen an increase in attacks as well as the fighters being equipped with new weapons that the forces left behind…. weapons that even Pakistani police do not have.
Islamabad says these fighters carry out the attack and disappear and that is causing a great deal of frustration inside Pakistan.
Over 650 attacks last year
Last year, more than 650 attacks were carried out across Pakistan where nearly 1,000 people, mostly security personnel, were killed.
The bulk of attacks – 93 percent – targeted the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the northwest and Balochistan in the southwest, both of which border Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly said that armed groups use Afghan soil as safe haven from where they launch attacks in the country, a charge which the Afghan Taliban has repeatedly denied.
Pakistan’s military says operation carried out on its own soil
Pakistan’s military says it conducted an operation on its own soil, in the North Waziristan region next to the Afghanistan border.
It added that “eight terrorists” were killed, claiming that they were behind the recent attack against its security forces on March 16.
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that in an intelligence-based operation, the forces managed to eliminate armed fighters who “orchestrated” the recent attack.
On Saturday, a group of suicide attackers targeted a Pakistani military checkpost in Mir Ali, which killed at least seven security personnel.
The ISPR statement did not mention Taliban claims of air strikes on Afghan soil this morning.
Pakistan president promises retaliation if attacked
On Sunday, Pakistan’s President Zardari spoke at the funeral of the two officers, promising retaliation.
“This noble sacrifice stands as another glorious testament to the unflinching resolve of our gallant sons, who have never hesitated to offer the ultimate sacrifice for the defence of our motherland,” he was quoted by the state news agency as saying.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also claimed that fighters are using Afghan soil to carry out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
“Terrorism against us is mostly being conducted from Afghanistan,” he said.
What happened in the lead-up to the air strikes?
Pakistani military and Foreign Ministry sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that air strikes were carried out inside Afghan territory, calling them retaliatory strikes due to “terrorist activities being sponsored and conducted from across border”.
This is the first time since April 2022 that Pakistan has conducted air strikes inside Afghanistan.
The incident comes two days after a suicide attack targeted a military checkpost in Pakistan’s North Waziristan district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
Seven Pakistani security personnel were killed in the attack that was claimed by a newly formed group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad, led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.