Afghanistan Warns of Retaliation After Alleged Pakistani Airstrike

Pakistan did not do the right thing by violating Afghan airspace. Warning Pakistan to be prepared for retaliation, Afghanistan has cautioned, “We will definitely take revenge for this. A response will be given at the appropriate time.” It is worth noting that late Saturday night, Pakistan has been accused of carrying out an airstrike on a madrasa in Barmal district of Paktika province in Afghanistan. Sources claim that the attack was conducted from F-16 and JF-17 aircraft in that region.

Pakistan has claimed that the strike targeted militant hideouts. However, Kabul has alleged that the attack hit residential areas, resulting in the deaths of 19 people. The Taliban administration of Afghanistan has warned that it will not tolerate this attack. On Sunday, the Taliban administration condemned the strike and warned of appropriate action. Many believe that this could create a new wave of tension along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that Pakistan violated its limits and attacked innocent Afghan civilians. According to him, “Pakistani forces once again entered Afghan territory and carried out attacks. On Saturday night, bombing was conducted in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. This attack killed 19 people, including women and children. The Pakistani government is trying to cover up its own failures by carrying out such attacks.”

A source within the Taliban administration claimed that efforts are underway to determine the extent of the damage caused by the strike. The source also indicated that top Taliban officials have signaled that a response will be delivered at the right time. Following Pakistan’s strike, Taliban officials reportedly convened an emergency meeting, believed to be aimed at deciding a strategy. However, the source said that although retaliation has been signaled, the Taliban administration does not want to act in haste. Meanwhile, tensions along the border between the two countries are escalating.

Islamabad, however, has asserted that the primary objective of the strike was to destroy militant bases near the border, and that this objective was achieved. In a statement issued by the Pakistani military, it was claimed that militant hideouts were destroyed in Afghanistan’s Paktika, Paktia, Nangarhar and Khost provinces. It was further claimed that the strikes specifically targeted locations from where Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants have been launching attacks inside Pakistan.

For a long time, Pakistan has accused the TTP of attempting to destabilize the country with alleged covert support from Afghan territory. Coincidentally, just hours before this airstrike, a suicide attack took place in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in northwestern Pakistan. A Pakistani military convoy was targeted in that attack, resulting in the deaths of two people, including an army officer. Earlier, last Monday, another attack occurred in the Bajaur area, where a suicide bombing targeted a military checkpoint, killing 11 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan had blamed Afghanistan for that incident.