ISLAMABAD: Senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Abdul Wali Dawar, associated with the Hafiz Gul Bahadur faction, was killed in the Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan on Thursday.
Pakistan carried out air and drone strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan, targeting militant facilities used to launch cross border terror attacks and store drones, in response to a series of attacks and attempted infiltrations along its western border.
The strikes came a day after Pakistan intercepted drones that had entered its airspace from Afghanistan. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistani air defence systems detected, tracked and neutralised the drones before they could reach their intended targets.
According to Tarar, Pakistan subsequently conducted precision strikes against 10 locations used for launching and storing the drones. He said the operation was carried out in self-defence and was limited to identified military objectives linked to the attempted attacks.
The latest strikes followed another escalation earlier this week, when Pakistani security forces engaged militants attempting to infiltrate through the Kurram sector along the Afghan border. The attempted infiltration came amid heightened security tensions along the frontier.
The escalation also followed the deadly attack on the Police Lines compound in Kohat, where a suicide bombing caused significant casualties among police personnel and civilians. Pakistani authorities have linked the broader wave of attacks to militant groups operating from or using sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul has denied.
Tarar said Pakistan had repeatedly raised concerns with the Afghan Taliban administration over the presence of militant sanctuaries and support networks on Afghan territory.
He said Pakistan would not accept attacks launched from Afghan soil and would respond to violations of its sovereignty, while stressing that Islamabad did not seek escalation and remained committed to dialogue and regional peace.
The minister also called on the Afghan Taliban administration to take effective, concrete and verifiable action against militant groups operating from its territory.
Also Read: Pakistan Forces Repel Infiltration Attempt Along Kurram Border, Target Afghan Post
The latest strikes mark a further escalation in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, following a series of cross-border attacks, attempted infiltrations and accusations over militant activity along the frontier.
