Additional Coverage:
Pakistan Confirms Airstrikes in Afghanistan, Escalating Tensions
Pakistan has officially confirmed its military operations targeting seven militant camps within Afghanistan on Sunday, February 22nd. The series of airstrikes, carried out by the Pakistan Air Force in the Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, reportedly resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals, including women and children.
According to Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s information minister, these operations were “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates in the border region.”
In response to the strikes, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on social media that it had “summoned the Ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul.” The Ministry further condemned the actions, stating that it “vehemently condemns the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the targeting of civilians, describing it as a flagrant breach of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and a provocative action.”
Sunday’s attacks are believed to be in retaliation for recent violence that Pakistani information ministry officials have attributed to “Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers.”