News Desk:Â Pakistan carried out precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan on Thursday, following an attempted drone incursion from Afghan territory a day earlier, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
According to Tarar, the targeted sites were being used for launching and storing drones and were linked to attacks carried out against Pakistan. He said the operation was conducted in exercise of Pakistan’s right to self-defence and was confined to specific military targets associated with the reported threats.
The information minister said Pakistan’s air defence systems detected, tracked and intercepted all the drones that entered Pakistani airspace on September 23 before they could reach their intended targets.
Tarar described the September 23 drone incursion as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said Islamabad had repeatedly raised concerns with the Afghan Taliban administration over the presence of terrorist groups and their alleged sanctuaries on Afghan soil.
He further said Pakistan had expected the Afghan authorities to take effective action against such groups, but instead, Islamabad viewed the reported drone activity as an escalation of tensions.
The minister said Pakistan would not accept attacks originating from Afghan territory and warned that any further violation of its sovereignty would receive a firm response.
At the same time, Tarar said Pakistan remained committed to regional peace, dialogue and constructive engagement. He stressed, however, that Islamabad’s preference for diplomatic engagement should not be interpreted as acceptance of hostile actions against Pakistan.
In a separate statement accompanying footage of the operation, Tarar said the strikes destroyed terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure, including facilities allegedly used for launching and storing drones. He said the targeted locations were connected to attacks against civilians in Pakistan as well as the drone intrusion reported on September 23.
The latest Pakistani operation came after reports of multiple drones entering Pakistani airspace from Afghanistan on Wednesday. Security officials said the drones were intercepted before reaching their intended targets.
The developments follow Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in Afghanistan on September 21, which Islamabad said were conducted in response to recent terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The government said at the time that more than 28 terrorists had been killed in the operation.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused groups operating from Afghan territory of involvement in attacks inside the country, while Afghan authorities have disputed Islamabad’s allegations and objected to cross-border military operations.
The latest strikes are likely to further increase tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border as Islamabad continues to call for action against armed groups it says are using Afghan territory to plan and execute attacks against Pakistan.
