Taliban accuse Pakistan of conducting strikes inside Afghanistan

Islamabad — Taliban authorities said Tuesday that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan that resulted in several civilian casualties, including women and children.

The Taliban Ministry of National Defense condemned the late-evening attack in Barmal, a district in the Afghan border province of Paktika. It asserted via the X social media platform that Pakistani refugee families residing in the area were the victims. The claims could not immediately be verified from independent sources.

"The Islamic Emirate considers this brutal bombing a violation of international principles and a clear act of aggression," the ministry said, using the official title of the Taliban government. "This cowardly attack will not go unanswered," the statement warned without elaborating.

The Taliban's reaction came hours after security officials in Pakistan anonymously confirmed to reporters that their forces had launched multiple aerial strikes against suspected terrorist targets in Barmal.

The officials, who were not authorized to speak to the media, asserted the military action destroyed a training facility and eliminated several key militant commanders linked to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP.

The globally designated terrorist organization is waging deadly attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians from its alleged Afghan sanctuaries. Pakistan has struck suspected terrorist targets inside Afghanistan in recent months.

It was not clear whether Pakistani fighter planes or unmanned aircraft, known as drones, were employed to conduct Tuesday's strikes.

Pakistani military spokesmen were immediately not available to comment on the reported counterterrorism cross-border strikes. They came two days after heavily armed TTP militants stormed a security outpost in South Waziristan, a Pakistani district adjacent to Barmal, and killed 16 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on Pakistan's military in recent months.

Tuesday's alleged strikes came on a day when Taliban leaders hosted meetings with a high-level Pakistani delegation, marking the resumption of such interactions after a yearlong pause due to terrorism allegations.

Mohammad Sadiq, Pakistan's newly appointed special envoy for Afghan affairs, led his country's team at the talks in Kabul with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, among others.

Muttaqi's office said in a post-meeting statement that the delegations focused on enhancing diplomatic, trade and transit relations between the countries, which share a nearly 2,600-kilometer border.

The chief Taliban diplomat stated that his government "desires positive relations" with Islamabad.

Muttaqi said without elaborating that to further develop trade and transit ties, both governments "must enhance mutual coordination, facilitate travelers' cross-border movement and address issues straining relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Taliban's statement quoted Pakistani envoy Sadiq as saying that his mission was to "bolster" bilateral political, economic, commercial and transit relations.

"Held wide-ranging discussions. Agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation as well as for peace and progress in the region," the Pakistani envoy wrote on X.

Sadiq's predecessor, Asif Ali, visited Kabul in September 2023 when Pakistan was experiencing a dramatic rise in terrorist attacks attributed to the outlawed TTP, with Islamabad persistently alleging the militant group was orchestrating the deadly cross-border violence from its Afghan "hideouts."

TTP attacks have since intensified and killed hundreds of Pakistani civilians as well as security forces, leading to a further deterioration in relations.

"Given the current circumstances, we must expedite our collaborative efforts to safeguard the relationship between our peoples and ensure regional stability and development," Haqqani's office quoted him Tuesday as telling the Pakistani delegation.

He stressed "the urgency of accelerating joint efforts to resolve security and political challenges," according to the statement.

Taliban leaders have consistently denied allegations that Afghan territory is being used as a launching pad for attacks. The de facto Afghan government maintains it does not support the TTP or any other foreign militant group, describing the violence in Pakistan as an "internal problem" for the neighboring country to resolve rather than blaming Kabul for the crisis.

Afghanistan is landlocked, relying heavily on Pakistani overland routes and seaports to conduct bilateral and international trade. Tensions over terrorism charges have led to a significant decline in Afghan trade and transit activities through Pakistan in recent months.

The Taliban swept back to power in 2021, but no country has officially recognized them as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.