Tensions escalate after Taliban says it targeted ISIL positions in Pakistan following deadly cross-border attacks
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 1 Pakistan’s military said on Wednesday it intercepted four drones launched from Afghanistan into its southwestern Balochistan province, while Afghanistan’s Taliban government said it had carried out air strikes inside Pakistani territory in retaliation for recent cross border attacks.
In a statement, Pakistan’s military said Afghan Taliban forces had launched four “rudimentary drones” across the border into Balochistan, adding that the aircraft were detected and intercepted by the country’s air defence systems before they could cause damage.
“The hostile aerial platforms were immediately picked up by Pakistan’s robust air defence network,” the military said, warning that any further provocations by the Afghan Taliban would be met with a “befitting response” carrying heavy consequences.
The Afghan Ministry of Defence, however, said it had conducted air strikes in Pakistan’s Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. In a post on X, the ministry said the attacks targeted members of an affiliate of the ISIL (ISIS) armed group and resulted in casualties among the fighters.
Although the Taliban does not possess fighter jets or a fully operational air force, it has increasingly relied on small drones during clashes with Pakistani forces, particularly in border areas where tensions have intensified in recent months.
The latest exchange follows the Taliban government’s pledge to retaliate after Pakistani air strikes earlier this week targeted eastern Afghanistan. Islamabad said those operations were aimed at armed fighters, while Afghan authorities claimed the attacks killed at least 36 civilians.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have steadily deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Cross border violence has escalated sharply this year, with hundreds of people reported killed since February as both sides have exchanged air strikes and artillery fire.
The dispute is largely driven by Pakistan’s longstanding accusation that the Taliban administration provides safe haven to the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an armed group responsible for a series of deadly attacks inside Pakistan. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Kabul to take action against the group, while Taliban officials deny allowing Afghan territory to be used for attacks against neighbouring countries.
The latest military exchanges underscore growing instability along the Pakistan Afghanistan border, raising concerns that the conflict could escalate further unless diplomatic efforts succeed in easing tensions between the two neighbours.
Source: Aljazeera
Leave a comment