Kabul Targets Neighboring Pakistan, Saying Retaliation Needed After Aerial Bombardment
The Afghan Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that Afghan Taliban forces had targeted “several points” in neighboring Pakistan, a move that follows Pakistan’s recent aerial bombardment inside Afghanistan.
According to the statement, the strikes were carried out “beyond the hypothetical line”, a reference to the disputed border with Pakistan. The ministry did not specify Pakistan but stated that the areas targeted served as centers and hideouts for malicious elements that had organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry Spokesman Enayatullah Khowarazmi declined to confirm whether the targeted area was in Pakistan, saying “we do not consider it to be the territory of Pakistan, therefore, we cannot confirm the territory, but it was on the other side of the hypothetical line.”
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been running high for decades, with the Afghan government rejecting the Durand Line, a border drawn by British colonial authorities in the 19th century, through the mountainous and lawless tribal belt between the two countries.
Pakistan has claimed that several militant attacks in its country were launched from Afghan soil, a charge that the Afghan Taliban denies. In response to Pakistan’s recent bombardment, Afghan authorities had warned they would retaliate, citing civilian casualties.
The exact number of casualties and areas targeted remain unknown, and officials from Pakistan’s military and Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.