Pakistan targets militants in Afghanistan, testing Doha truce

Islamabad said it carried out strikes along the border with Afghanistan early on Sunday, targeting what it called hideouts of Pakistani militants it blamed for recent attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Red Crescent Society said more than a dozen people were killed.

Pakistan did not specify the locations targeted, but the Afghan Defence Ministry said in a statement “various civilian areas” in the provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika in eastern Afghanistan were hit, including a religious madrasa and multiple civilian homes.

The statement called the strikes a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the attacks “killed and wounded dozens, including women and children”.

Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in eastern Nangarhar province, said 18 people were killed and several others wounded.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar wrote on social media that the military conducted “intelligence-based, selective operations” against seven camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and its affiliates. He said an affiliate of Islamic State group was also targeted.

Tarar said Pakistan “has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region,” but added that the safety and security of Pakistani citizens remained a top priority.