Why did Pakistan carry out airstrikes in Afghanistan?
Who was the target? What is the current status of the relationship between the two countries?
The story so far:
In a major escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan this week, Pakistani fighters carried out airstrikes inside the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost. At least eight civilians were killed in the predawn attacks, Afghan officials said. The Taliban strongly condemned the strikes, and as retaliation, attacked Pakistani military posts along the border using “heavy weapons.” Although the fighting across the PakistanAfghanistan border has stopped for now, the incident highlights the increasing tension between the two countries as Islamabad has accused the Taliban of providing refuge to terrorists launching frequent attacks on its territory.
Why has Pakistan’s relationship with the Taliban soured?
The 2,670kilometre Durand Line which marks the international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has long been a point of contention between the two nations. Successive Afghan governments have disputed the demarcation, claiming Pashtun territories in Pakistan, including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and parts of the North West Frontier Province. Tensions became apparent after the Taliban firmly rejected the Durand Line as a permanent border, dividing ethnic Pashtuns, following its return to power in 2021. A series of skirmishes between the two forces along the border were reported in the following days.
The tensions escalated after the TehreekeTaliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, called off a ceasefire in November 2022 when talks brokered by the Afghan Taliban broke down. The Afghan Taliban and the TTP are separate groups with common ideological links. A regrouped TTP ordered nationwide attacks after the ceasefire ended, which resulted in an unprecedented surge in terror incidents across Pakistan. The country saw a 69% increase in attacks in 2023, an 81% rise in resultant deaths, and a 60% surge in the number of injuries, according to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). The total violencerelated fatalities reached a record sixyear high last year, with over 1,500 deaths from 789 terror attacks and counterterror operations. Amid a multifaceted crisis, Pakistan urged the Afghan Taliban to control the TTP. While the Taliban assured that they wouldn’t permit anyone to use Afghan soil for attacks against any country, the surge in attacks since 2021 created distrust between Pakistan and the Taliban.
What triggered the airstrikes?
On March 16, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed after a suicide bomber rammed an explosiveladen truck into a post in North Waziristan. The next day, while offering the funeral prayers, President Asif Ali Zardari vowed to “respond strongly.” Hours later, the Taliban released a statement, alleging that
Pakistani planes had bombed the Barmal district of Paktika province and Sepera district in Khost at 3 a.m. on March 18, resulting in the deaths of civilians.
Pakistan confirmed the airstrikes hit rebels belonging to the TTP’s Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group after the outfit claimed responsibility for the March 16 attack. The Pakistan Foreign Office said the country conveyed its serious concerns to the Afghan government over the presence of terror outfits including the TTP inside Afghanistan over the past two years. “These terrorists pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s security and have consistently used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pakistani territory,” it added. Notably, this was not the first time Pakistan launched airstrikes against Afghanistan. In April 2022, the Pakistani military carried out a similar operation in Khost and Kunar provinces.
What has the Taliban said?
The Taliban have warned Pakistan of “very bad consequences which will be out of Pakistan’s control” in case of continued attacks inside its territory. The Taliban spokesperson claimed that attacks took place on houses of civilians, killing five women and three children. The Taliban denied Pakistan’s Special Representative to Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Durrani’s recent charge that Afghanistan was providing shelter to 5,000 to 6,000 TTP militants, but acknowledged the possibility of their presence due to Afghanistan’s rugged terrain.