Pak-Afghan tensions escalate amid airstrike allegations

ISLAMABAD:

The Afghan Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned Pakistan's charge d'affaires in Kabul to record a formal protest over the reported airstrikes inside Afghanistan, targeting the hideouts of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

There was no official word yet from Pakistan regarding the airstrikes that according to the Afghan side targeted four locations in Bermal district of Paktika province. Some sources claimed that at the time of the air strikes, the TTP was holding a big gathering in Bermal.

While the Pakistan side kept mum on the bombing allegations, the sources claimed that three key targets of the airstrikes were Munib Jatt, head of the TTP media cell, Umar Media, his deputy Abu Hamza, and Akhtar Muhammad Khalil, a commander of his own faction.

The strikes seemed to be in response to a recent surge in TTP-sponsored terrorist attacks in Pakistan. The tipping point appeared to be the latest attack in South Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in which 16 Pakistani soldiers were martyred.

Previously, Pakistan had carried out air strikes inside Afghanistan in March this year, in which the hideouts of Hafiz Gul Bahadur group were hit. At that time Pakistan, for the first time, publicly owned and acknowledged those strikes.

The latest claims of airstrikes came on the day when Pakistan's special envoy Ambassador Muhammad Sadiq was in Kabul, holding talks with Taliban officials to break the ice. His visit was part of a renewed push to find a political solution to the security problems.

Despite the airstrikes, Sadiq's engagements in Kabul went ahead as per schedule on Wednesday. Hours after the reported bombing, Sadiq held talks with Afghan Deputy Prime Minister for political Affairs Maulwi Abdul Kabir.

While he was holding talks with Afghan authorities to find a diplomatic solution to the TTP problem, Pakistani diplomat Hafiz Zia Ahmad was called to the Afghan foreign ministry and issued a strong demarche.

The deputy spokesperson for the Taliban government claimed that Pakistani strikes killed 46 people and injured six. The Afghan side insisted that those killed were from Waziristan. A spokesperson for the Afghan foreign ministry said that a letter of strong protest was delivered to the Pakistani diplomat.

Afghanistan, which has a long history of defending itself against major powers, strongly rejected any violation of territorial integrity and was firmly committed to defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to a statement.

It added that the Pakistani side had been clearly informed that protecting Afghanistan's national sovereignty was a red line for Kabul and that such actions were highly irresponsible and would inevitably have consequences.

Earlier, Mullah Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesperson for the interim Taliban administration, said that Pakistani jets bombed four locations in Paktika's Barmal district in Tuesday night, killing 46 people, injuring six, and destroying houses, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency.

According to Kabul, this was Pakistan's second air strike inside Afghanistan, after the first one in March, which was formally protested by the Taliban administration.

Islamabad had yet to respond to the claims made by Kabul. However, media reports quoting unnamed Pakistani security officials said the fighter jets targeted camps of the banned militant group TTP.

The TTP has carried out deadly attacks on the Pakistani security forces, mainly in the border regions, in recent months. Islamabad has long accused Kabul of failing to crack down on the TTP, who have reportedly been operating from Afghanistan. Kabul denies the charge.

Following the airstrikes, the Afghan Ministry of National Defence said that the interim Taliban administration would not leave this act unanswered rather it considered the defence of its territory its inalienable right.

"Afghanistan considers this brutal act against all international principles and a blatant aggression and strongly condemns it. The Pakistani side should know that such arbitrary measures are not a solution to any problem" read the statement.

The ministry also substantiated the claims that Pakistani forces bombed Paktika province of Afghanistan, adding that the bombing targeted civilians from Waziristan.