Pakistan kills 29 terrorists in operation along Afghanistan border
What's the story
Pakistani security forces have killed 29 terrorists in a ground and air operation along the Afghanistan border, officials were quoted as saying by the Associated Press. The strikes were aimed at Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts, which Islamabad blames for a surge in violence across the country. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced the operation on the social media platform X, saying it was launched in response to recent terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
Retaliatory strike
Operation comes after attack on paramilitary forces in Karachi
The operation comes after a deadly attack on the paramilitary Rangers headquarters in Karachi, where three soldiers were killed, though some reports put the number at four. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the TTP, had claimed responsibility for this attack. Security forces killed six attackers and captured another, who was identified as an Afghan national.
Rising tensions
Relations between Islamabad and Kabul likely to further strain
The latest operation is likely to further strain relations between Islamabad and Kabul. It comes less than three weeks after Pakistan launched airstrikes on what it said were terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan. This marked an end to a month of relative calm after a period of open conflict between the two countries. Since February, hundreds have died in cross-border fighting, with retaliatory strikes from both sides that followed Pakistani air raids inside Afghan territory.
Unresolved conflict
Despite several rounds of peace talks, ceasefire remains elusive
Despite several rounds of internationally mediated peace talks, including in Qatar and Turkey, a lasting ceasefire remains elusive. China also hosted talks between the two sides in April, but fighting has continued unabated. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of harboring terrorists responsible for attacks on its soil, a charge denied by Kabul.