ISLAMABAD: Pakistani troops targeted and destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts in a remote southwestern region on Wednesday in what officials described as a response to "unprovoked aggression," signaling rising tensions between the neighbors.
Two security officials said Pakistan also struck hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban near Chaman town in southwestern Balochistan province. A day earlier, a mortar shell fired by the Afghan Taliban hit a house there, killing one civilian and wounding two others. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a statement said Pakistani forces had thwarted "malicious intentions" of militants through timely action, adding that they were giving a "befitting response" to aggression.
The developments came two days after Afghan officials said mortars and missiles fired from Pakistan struck a university and homes in northeastern Afghanistan, killing seven people and wounding at least 85. Pakistan has denied targeting a university or carrying out any such strikes.
Afghan and Pakistani officials had met in western China in early April and agreed not to escalate their conflict and "explore a comprehensive solution," China's government had said after mediating the talks.
Pakistan has seen a surge in attacks in recent years, many claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.
Two security officials said Pakistan also struck hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban near Chaman town in southwestern Balochistan province. A day earlier, a mortar shell fired by the Afghan Taliban hit a house there, killing one civilian and wounding two others. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in a statement said Pakistani forces had thwarted "malicious intentions" of militants through timely action, adding that they were giving a "befitting response" to aggression.
The developments came two days after Afghan officials said mortars and missiles fired from Pakistan struck a university and homes in northeastern Afghanistan, killing seven people and wounding at least 85. Pakistan has denied targeting a university or carrying out any such strikes.
Afghan and Pakistani officials had met in western China in early April and agreed not to escalate their conflict and "explore a comprehensive solution," China's government had said after mediating the talks.
Pakistan has seen a surge in attacks in recent years, many claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. The group is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which took over Afghanistan in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops. Kabul denies the charge.
