Taliban warns Pakistan after airstrikes on Afghanistan
Pakistan has said it has targeted "seven terrorist hideouts and camps" in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region based on intelligence.
A spokesperson for the Taliban government in Afghanistan has stated that dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes in Nangarhar and Paktika.
The Taliban government's Defense Ministry has also warned of retaliation "at the appropriate time." The Ministry issued a statement condemning Pakistan's attacks on "civilian areas" in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.
According to Afghan sources, a drone strike targeted a religious school in Paktika and operations were also carried out in Nangarhar province.
The Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in the Afghan border areas early Sunday. The Pakistani military claimed that seven camps and hideouts linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State were targeted.
Action taken in response to recent suicide attacks: Pakistan
Pakistan, on the other hand, claims that this action was taken in response to recent suicide attacks in the country. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a statement stating that this was an intelligence-based operation. Pakistan stated, "We have strong evidence that the attacks were carried out by a network operating from Afghan soil."
A Pakistani Shia mosque was bombed during Friday prayers.
Hours before the airstrike, a suicide attack struck a security convoy in Bannu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel.
On February 16, a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a security checkpoint in Bajaur, Pakistan, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Officials identified the attacker as an Afghan national.
Earlier, on February 6, a suicide attack struck a Shia mosque (Imambara) during Friday prayers in Islamabad. According to the Pakistani newspaper The Dawn, 31 people were killed and 169 injured in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State.
23 members of a family buried under the rubble
According to Afghan media outlet Tolo News, the attack targeted a house in Nangarhar, burying 23 members of a single family under the rubble. Only four people have been rescued so far. The family was sleeping at the time of the attack, so they had no chance to escape.
According to the American human rights organization International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF), 16 people were killed, including women and children. However, official figures have not yet been released.
Islamabad alleges that the TTP operates from Afghanistan, a charge the Taliban denies.
Pakistan has long demanded that the Taliban government not allow its territory to be used by any terrorist organization.
Pakistan has appealed to the international community to pressure the Taliban, in accordance with the 2020 agreement reached with the US in Doha, to prevent the use of Afghan territory against other countries.