Afghan forces struck militant hideouts in Pakistan, Taliban says

Afghan forces launched air strikes on Islamist militant hideouts in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, sparking new tension between the neighbours.

Afghan forces launched "air strikes" on hideouts of Islamist militants in two provinces ‌of Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban's defence ministry said on Friday, sparking new tension between the neighbours months after they engaged in their worst conflict in years. The hideouts in Pakistan's Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, both of which share a border with Afghanistan, ‌were targeted by the "air force" on Thursday night, the ministry said in a post on X. It did not specify ‌how the attack – Kabul's first major offensive action in months – was carried out. Afghanistan has no fighter jets but is known to possess at least six aircraft and 23 helicopters, according to data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Taliban forces are also known to have ⁠drones that ​have been used in fighting ⁠with Pakistan.

"These bases, allegedly used in cooperation with certain hostile intelligence circles to plan and organize attacks against Afghanistan, had previously served as staging grounds for ⁠several deadly attacks," it said. "According to preliminary information, the operation successfully hit its key pre-designated targets," it added, without giving details about ​casualties.

Pakistan's military and information ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The conflict between allies-turned-foes Pakistan and ⁠Afghanistan has killed hundreds of people this year, with efforts to ease tensions, mediated by China, yielding no results so far. Islamabad has blamed Kabul ⁠for ​harbouring militants that it says plot attacks in Pakistan, but the Afghan Taliban denies the allegations and says militancy is Pakistan's internal problem. Pakistan launched air strikes on Afghan provinces last week, which the Afghan Taliban said killed at least ⁠13 people, including 11 children, and injured 14.

Islamabad said the "calibrated strikes" killed 26 militants and were a response to a ⁠recent spate of attacks ⁠in the country's northwest. "Afghanistan will no longer tolerate any threat to its security and stability. It will use all available means and capabilities to neutralize and eliminate any threat at its source," ‌the Afghan Taliban ‌defence ministry said.