Pakistan Air Strikes Kill 46 In Afghanistan, Says Taliban
On December 24, 2024, Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, targeting suspected hideouts of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The Afghan Taliban administration reported that these strikes resulted in 46 fatalities, including women and children, and injured six others.
The Pakistani military has not officially commented on the operation. However, unnamed Pakistani security officials indicated that the strikes aimed to dismantle a militant training facility in the Barmal district of Paktika, which borders Pakistan.
In response, the Afghan Defense Ministry condemned the airstrikes, labeling them a “brutal act against all international principles and blatant aggression,” and vowed retaliation.
These airstrikes follow a recent increase in militant attacks within Pakistan. Notably, on December 21, 2024, at least 16 Pakistani soldiers were killed in an attack by the TTP on a checkpoint in South Waziristan.
The incident has further strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Islamabad accusing the Afghan Taliban of not effectively preventing cross-border militant activities—a charge that Kabul denies.
By -kartik