Afghan Taliban Claims Airstrikes in Pakistan; Islamabad Dismisses as 'Baseless'
The Afghan Taliban government on Friday claimed on social media platform X that its forces conducted air strikes on militant hideouts in two Pakistani provinces, escalating tensions between the neighbouring countries. The Afghan Defence Ministry stated that the strikes targeted bases of Islamist militants, specifically ISIS hideouts, in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Pakistan swiftly rejected the claim. The Pakistani Information Ministry called the Taliban's assertion 'baseless' and denied that any such strikes occurred inside its territory. According to the ministry, the claim does not reflect ground realities.
The latest exchange comes days after Pakistan acknowledged conducting cross-border strikes against militant targets along the Afghan frontier. Pakistan reported that those operations killed 26 militants. However, the Afghan Taliban administration alleged that at least 13 people, including 11 children, were killed in Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan soil.
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated sharply this year, with repeated military engagements along the border. Earlier confrontations in February, followed by operations in March and April, have resulted in hundreds of casualties and increased volatility in the region.
