ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Sunday issued a stern warning that any further terrorist attacks emanating from Afghan territory would result in direct strikes on terrorist positions inside Afghanistan, signaling a major change in the rules of engagement along the porous border.
The warning followed intense nighttime clashes and a series of precision operations Islamabad said were carried out in self-defense. In an official military statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan carried out targeted strikes against Taliban posts, training centers and command nodes which it identified as safe havens for groups attacking Pakistani soil. The military presented these operations as limited and specific responses to what it described as “unprovoked” assaults on Pakistani border posts.
The operations coincided with reports of intense exchanges in several sectors of the 2,600-kilometre border and the temporary closure of key crossing points, including Torkham and Chaman, as authorities sought to contain violence and the displacement of civilians.
Islamabad has also reported significant terrorist casualties and troop losses in the clashes, while Afghan authorities have given conflicting casualty figures. Security sources in Islamabad said the new posture combines kinetic action with a tougher administrative line.
“Pakistan will hold the Afghan administration responsible for militant activities launched from Afghan soil and has warned that future cross-border attacks will result in strikes inside Afghanistan,” sources said. Pakistan has carried out cross-border strikes in the past, but these were not frequent.
But the new rules of engagement mean such actions could happen frequently if the Afghan side refuses to rein in terrorist groups. Government officials also reiterated their earlier threats to accelerate action against undocumented Afghan nationals living in Pakistan.
International actors, including regional mediators, called for restraint and dialogue, warning that continued retaliatory operations risked wider regional escalation and humanitarian fallout for civilians on both sides of the border.
A senior official told The Express PK Press Club that the Afghan side made a major mistake by launching attacks last night. “This is our territory [conventional war] and the Taliban cannot compete with us. They have given us a big advantage,” the official said, adding that Pakistan would use this window to inflict maximum damage on the terrorist infrastructure.
There was no other option but to create deterrence where the Afghan side understands the cost of supporting the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned group, the official explained. The official revealed that Pakistan would now pursue “its enemies” wherever they are in Afghanistan.
“Whether they are hiding in Kabul, Khost or Kandahar, we will hunt them down,” the official stressed. TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud is believed to have had a narrow escape when Pakistan hit his vehicle in Kabul with precision strikes a few days ago. It is now confirmed that the vehicle was indeed used by the TTP leader, but at the time of the attack he was not inside.
Sources said the Afghan side deliberately downplayed the Kabul strikes as it knew the TTP leader was the target. “Pakistan’s action has clearly shaken them [Afghan Taliban]. They did not expect us to carry out such attacks,” sources said.
