ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Sunday issued a stern warning that any new terrorist attacks emerging from Afghan territory will lead to direct attacks on terrorist positions inside Afghanistan, signaling a major change in the rules of engagement along the porous border.
The warning came after intense nighttime clashes and a series of precision operations that Islamabad said were carried out in self-defense. In an official military statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Pakistan had carried out targeted attacks on Taliban outposts, training centers and command nodes that it identified as safe havens for groups attacking Pakistani soil. The military framed the operations as limited, targeted responses to what it described as “unprovoked” attacks on Pakistani border posts.
The operations coincided with reports of intense exchanges on multiple sectors of the 2,600 kilometer border and the temporary closure of major crossings, including Torkham and Chaman, as authorities sought to contain violence and the displacement of civilians.
Islamabad also reported significant terrorist casualties and troop losses in the clashes, while Afghan authorities gave contrasting casualty figures. Security sources in Islamabad said the new posture combines kinetic action with a tougher administrative line.
“Pakistan will hold the Afghan administration responsible for militant activity launched from Afghan soil and has warned that future cross-border attacks will be met with attacks within Afghanistan,” according to the sources. Pakistan has carried out cross-border attacks in the past, but they were infrequent.
But the new rules of engagement mean there may be frequent such actions if the Afghan side refuses to rein in terrorist groups. Government officials also reiterated earlier threats to accelerate measures against undocumented Afghan nationals living in Pakistan.
International actors, including regional mediators, have urged restraint and dialogue, warning that continued tit-for-tat operations risk broader regional escalation and humanitarian consequences for civilians on both sides of the border.
A senior official told The Express PAkGazette that the Afghan side made a big mistake by launching attacks last night. “This is our territory [conventional war] and the Taliban cannot compete with us. “They have given us a big advantage,” the official said, adding that Pakistan would use this window to inflict maximum damage on terrorist infrastructure.
There was no other option but to create a deterrent in which the Afghan side understood the cost of supporting the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the official explained. The official revealed that Pakistan will now pursue “its enemies” wherever they are in Afghanistan.
“Whether they are hiding in Kabul, Khost or Kandahar, we will pursue them,” the official stressed. TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud is believed to have narrowly escaped when Pakistan hit his vehicle in Kabul with precision strikes a few days ago. It is now confirmed that the vehicle was indeed in use by the head of the TTP, but at the time of the attack he was not inside.
Sources said the Afghan side deliberately downplayed the Kabul attacks because they knew the target was the TTP chief. “Pakistan’s action has clearly shaken them [Afghan Taliban]. They did not expect us to carry out such attacks,” according to the sources.
