(MENAFN- Live Mint) "The Pakistan military has blamed Afghanistan for a recent wave of 'terrorism' - including a March 16 militant attack at a border Army post. Officials from the foreign ministry said on Monday that Islamabad had carried out 'intelligence-based anti-terror operations' in the border regions of the other country. The target of operation were terrorists belonging to the Hafix Gul Bahadur Group - held responsible for multiple attacks inside Pakistan along with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Pakistani jets targeted multiple suspected hideouts inside Afghanistan on Monday morning - the first airstrikes since an unofficial attack in 2022. Eight people were killed in the attack with the Afghan Taliban denouncing it as an aggression on the country's territorial integrity had killed seven soldiers last week during a suicide bombing attack in northwestern Pakistan. All six attackers were killed in a retaliatory shootout in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan. The Mir Ali attack was claimed by a newly formed militant group - Jaish-e-Fursan-e-Muhammad. However, Pakistani security officials believe it is mainly made up of members of the Pakistani Taliban, the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP READ: Taliban retaliates Pakistan strikes, exchange of fire at borderRelations between the two countries have soured since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Islamabad claims that militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from Afghanistan.(With inputs from agencies)

MENAFN18032024007365015876ID1107991568