ISLAMABAD – On Monday morning, Pakistan conducted an intelligence-based anti-terrorist operation along Afghanistan’s border regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the development in a statement, saying, “The prime target of today’s operation was the terrorists belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which, along with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials”.
The latest attack occurred on March 16, 2024, at a security post in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, and killed seven Pakistani soldiers, according to the foreign office.
Over the last two years, Pakistan has regularly expressed severe concerns to the interim Afghan government over the existence of terrorist groups such as the TTP in Afghanistan. These terrorists constitute a serious threat to Pakistan’s security and have repeatedly used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks on Pakistani soil.
Pakistan prioritizes Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. As a result, it has always favored discussion and cooperation in combating the terrorist threat.
“We have consistently encouraged Afghan authorities to take real and effective steps to guarantee that Afghan soil is not utilized as a staging ground for terrorist attacks on Pakistan.
“We have also urged them to deny safe havens to the TTP and hand over its leadership to Pakistan,” it stated.
Pakistan has a high regard for the people of Afghanistan. However, many factions in Afghanistan’s power structure openly support TTP and use them as a proxy against Pakistan. Such a stance against a sister country that has stood with the Afghan people through thick and thin demonstrates shortsightedness. It ignores Pakistan’s decades-long assistance for the Afghan people. We encourage these elements in power to reconsider their stance of partnering with Khwarij terrorists who have killed innocent Pakistanis and to make a clear decision to support the people of Pakistan.
Terrorist groups like the TTP pose a cumulative threat to regional peace and security.
“We are fully aware of the struggle Afghan authorities confront in combatting the TTP menace. Pakistan would thus continue to work toward finding collaborative solutions to counterterrorism and preventing any terrorist organization from undermining bilateral relations with Afghanistan,” it concluded.
