• Pakistani strikes aimed at neutralising TTP, BLA elements: FM Dar.
• He says Islamabad expects Kabul to take action against terrorists.
• Pakistan to take all possible measures to defend its territory: DPM

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday warned Afghanistan that Pakistan was “exercising extreme caution in its defensive response” to the former’s unprovoked firing raids along the border, terming it a “serious provocation”.

In a statement on X, DPM Dar said that he was “deeply concerned” over the development on the Pakistan-Afghan border.

He said that Pakistani strikes targeting Taliban infrastructure were aimed at neutralising Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) aka Fitna al-Khawarij and Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), also known as Fitna al-Hindustan terrorist elements operating from the Afghan soil.

Noting that Pakistan’s defensive response was not targeted towards the peace-loving Afghan civilian population, Dar said that Pakistan “will take all possible measures to defend its own territory, sovereignty and its people”.

“We expect the Taliban Government to take concrete measures against terrorist elements and their perpetrators that wish to derail Pak-Afghan relations,” the DPM remarked.

His remarks come as Pakistan and Afghanistan have been engaged in cross-border skirmishes triggered after Afghan forces opened unprovoked gunfire at several border points, including Angoor Adda, Bajaur, and Kurram, while attacks were also reported in Dir, Chitral, Baramcha, and others.

The security sources say that the Taliban fighters have abandoned several bodies and posts before fleeing the area following Pakistan’s powerful counteraction.

Dozens of Afghan soldiers and Khawarij were killed in retaliatory fire, said the sources.

The sources said that the Pakistani forces effectively dispersed militant formations inside Afghanistan after targeting multiple positions sheltering Daesh and Fitna al-Khawarij elements.

The Taliban’s Manojaba battalion headquarters I and II were also wiped out in the strikes. The Durrani camps I and II, which served as launchpads for cross-border attacks, were hit with precision fire, killing at least 50 Taliban fighters, according to security sources.

Reacting to the border clashes, President Zardari said that the country will not compromise on its national sovereignty and that it expects Kabul not to allow its territory to be used by Fitna al-Khawarij and Fitna al-Hindustan.

Condemning Afghanistan’s unprovoked aggression, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the Pakistan Army for an effective and befitting response under the leadership of Field Marshal Asim Munir.

“There will be no compromise on Pakistan’s defence,” the premier said, adding that every provocation will be given a befitting and effective reply.

Meanwhile, in retaliation for the Afghan side’s aggression, the Pakistan Army has used artillery, tanks, and both light and heavy weapons in its response, while air assets and drones were also deployed to strike militant hideouts.

The operation targeted Daesh and Khawarij sanctuaries, including Afghan command centres harbouring these militants, the sources said, confirming that terrorist positions and hideouts were also struck inside Afghanistan.

They noted that Afghanistan’s aggression coincided with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, calling it a “notable and concerning development”.

The security sources confirmed that Pakistan seized 19 Afghan posts along the border, which were being used to launch attacks into Pakistan.

Apart from destroying the Afghan Taliban’s base camp opposite the Chitral Sector, Pakistani forces have struck Spin Boldak’s Asmat Ullah Karar camp — one of the largest facilities operated by the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistani forces also destroyed the Taliban’s Second Battalion headquarters, used as a launchpad by Fitna al-Khawarij and Fita al-Hindustan, in the Brabcha area and have hoisted the Pakistani flag.

Furthermore, a tank position was also struck on the Afghan side, resulting in several tanks being destroyed. Additionally, Pakistan struck the Taliban’s Ghaznali headquarters in the Nushki sector, leaving it completely destroyed and resulting in dozens of Taliban fighters and TTP terrorists.

The escalation between the two neighbours has also prompted reactions from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Iran, with all three countries urging restraint and calling for dialogue.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has also expressed concern over Pakistan-Afghanistan clashes and called for both sides to hold urgent talks to address the tensions.

“Iran is ready to help reduce tensions between neighbours,” Baqaei said.

The latest round of tensions between the neighbouring countries is to be taken against the backdrop of increased terrorist attacks inside Pakistan by outlawed militant groups, TTP, Baloch Liberation Army, etc, operating from the Afghan soil.

Pakistan has time again asked Kabul to prevent its territory from being used against Pakistan with  Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, during a recent presser, saying that Pakistan had engaged Afghanistan through multiple channels, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the UAE, before and after the Doha agreement.

The military’s spokesperson also said that India was using Afghan soil as a base of operations against Pakistan, with evidence of Indian proxies conducting terror attacks from Afghan territory.

He added that following the US withdrawal, a large cache of American weapons was left behind, much of which ended up in the hands of terrorist groups.