Afghanistan airstrikes on Pakistan: Taliban claims drone attacks on ISIS bases in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has claimed responsibility for carrying out drone strikes inside Pakistan, saying the attacks targeted bases used by the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), an affiliate of the Islamic State group.

According to reports, the strikes targeted locations in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Taliban says ISIS bases were targeted

According to the Taliban, the targeted locations were being used by ISIS-K militants to plan attacks and sabotage operations against civilians inside Afghanistan.

Reports said one of the targets was a school building in the Saran area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which the Taliban claimed was being used as a hideout by ISIS fighters.

The Taliban government said several ISIS members were killed in the strikes.

Taliban claims no civilians were harmed

According to reports, Afghan authorities said the drone strikes did not cause any civilian casualties.

However, Pakistan has not yet officially confirmed the claims made by the Taliban regarding the attacks or the number of casualties.

Strikes come days after Pakistani air attacks

The reported drone strikes came around two days after Pakistan carried out airstrikes near its border with Afghanistan.

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 28 civilians were killed, and 49 others were injured in those Pakistani strikes.

Pakistan’s security forces, however, said those killed were militants and not civilians.

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Afghan government gives higher casualty figures

Afghan government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat reportedly said the Pakistani strikes killed 38 civilians and injured 163 others, including women and children.

The latest escalation has increased tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have seen several clashes along the border in recent months.

India condemns Pakistani airstrikes

India criticised Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghanistan and called them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty.

In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the attacks were a ‘blatant act of aggression’ and posed a threat to peace and stability in the region.

The ministry also said that targeting Afghan territory and causing civilian casualties, including women and children, was unacceptable.

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