ISLAMABAD / KABUL — Pakistan carried out ground and air operations along its border with Afghanistan following a deadly attack on a military facility in Karachi, officials and local reports said.
According to Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistani forces targeted what he described as militant hideouts belonging to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in response to the assault, which involved a suicide bombing and a direct attack on a military installation.
Tarar said the strikes hit locations in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika and Kunar provinces, adding that senior members of the group and at least 29 fighters were killed. The claims could not be independently verified.
In Kabul, Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government condemned the reported strikes, with government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid describing them as “cowardly, aggressive and a brutal crime.”
He said Afghan territory had been violated and warned that such actions would have consequences, without immediately providing details of possible retaliation.
The cross-border escalation highlights continuing tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, particularly along the porous frontier where militant groups have long operated.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused armed groups based in Afghanistan of carrying out attacks on its territory, a claim denied by the Taliban authorities, who in turn accuse Islamabad of violating Afghan sovereignty.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of casualties from either side, and details of the Karachi attack remained unclear.
Further developments are expected as both governments continue to exchange accusations amid rising border tensions.
