Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani military launched airstrikes in neighboring Afghanistan late Tuesday night, targeting hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban, known as TTP, the militant group in Paktika province, according to security officials.

While no official statement has been issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry or its military media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), sources confirmed to Al Jazeera that the attacks took place in the Barmal district of Afghanistan, near Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region. (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province).

The interim Afghan government, ruled by the Taliban, confirmed the attacks but insisted that civilians were targeted. The Taliban spokesman’s office told Al Jazeera that at least 46 people, including women and children, were among those killed in the air strikes.

“The Pakistani side must understand that such arbitrary measures do not represent a solution to any problem,” said Enayatullah Khwarazmi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense. books He added on the social media platform

Air strikes launched for the second time this yearThis came just hours after Pakistani Special Representative to Afghanistan Mohammad Saadi met with Interim Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul.

“Today I met with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki. We held wide-ranging discussions. We agreed to work together to further strengthen bilateral cooperation and promote peace and progress in the region.” to publish On X.

Sadiq’s visit to Kabul, which also included a meeting with Afghanistan’s interim Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani on Monday, came amid deteriorating relations between the two neighbours, and relations are likely to deteriorate further after the attacks on Tuesday night, analysts say.

Increased attacks

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan government of harboring armed groups, especially the Pakistani Taliban, which it claims are carrying out cross-border attacks targeting Pakistani security forces.

Last week, Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the killing of at least 16 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan in one of the deadliest recent attacks on security personnel.

While the Taliban denies providing sanctuary to armed groups or allowing its territory to be used to launch cross-border attacks, Pakistan confirms that the Pakistani Taliban carry out its operations from Afghan sanctuaries.

During a briefing to the UN Security Council last week, Pakistan said that thousands of Pakistani Taliban fighters had taken refuge in Afghanistan.

“The Pakistani Taliban, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed terrorist organization operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our borders, they pose a direct and daily threat to Pakistan’s security,” Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadon said at a UN news conference. “.

Data show a rise in attacks and deaths, particularly in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan and the southwest of the country. Balochistan ProvinceBoth are on the border with Afghanistan.

According to the Pakistani Ministry of Interior, more than 1,500 violent incidents in the first 10 months of this year resulted in at least 924 deaths. The victims included at least 570 law enforcement personnel and 351 civilians.

The Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), an Islamabad-based research organization, has reported more than 856 attacks so far in 2024, exceeding the world record. 645 incidents It was registered in 2023.

Risk of retaliation

Pakistan insists that it has repeatedly shared evidence with the Taliban regarding TTP operations, but claims that these concerns have not been adequately addressed.

The Pakistani government launched a military campaign, Clamping torque (Resolve for Stability), last June, and security analyst Amir Rana believes that the recent air strikes are likely part of this process.

“Discussions within military circles have focused on launching attacks on Afghan territory after the recent escalation in attacks against security personnel. These strikes appear to stem from last week’s attacks on soldiers,” Rana told Al Jazeera.

Rana, who is also director of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based security think tank, says the visit to Kabul by Sadiq, the Pakistani special representative to Afghanistan, may not be related to Tuesday’s airstrikes.

“Sadiq’s visit was intended to convey the government’s message to share its concerns about the increasing attacks by Pakistani Taliban networks operating from Afghanistan, and was likely a confidence-building exercise,” he added.

Ehsanullah Tipu, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said Pakistan has carried out at least four air strikes on Pakistani Taliban hideouts in Afghanistan over the past few years.

However, Tipu added that a serious flaw in Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy is its “incoherent approach”.

“Historically, the approach adopted by Pakistan has been driven by personality rather than strategy. Actions such as cross-border air strikes should be part of a comprehensive, well-planned policy rather than reactive measures,” Tipu, who is also a co-founder of the Khorasan Security Research Portal, told Al Jazeera.

Tipu also noted that while the Afghan government has promised retaliation, the real response may come from the Pakistani Taliban.

He added: “The actual reaction may come from the Pakistani Taliban, which has already been discussing retaliatory attacks in its internal communications, claiming that the strikes killed its women and children.”

PIPS’s Rana said such cross-border attacks have become a global norm, and Pakistan is unlikely to face any criticism or consequences from the international community for airstrikes.

“But this also represents a great challenge for us, and it is something we must reflect on, because despite four decades of engagement in Afghanistan, we still have not developed the diplomatic skills necessary to engage in a dialogue with the rulers in Afghanistan, whoever they may be, in a constructive way.” “Rana said.

Meanwhile, Tipu stressed that the Pakistani Taliban issue remains a major obstacle to Pakistan-Afghanistan relations.

With Al-Sadiq’s reappointment as special envoy, there were hopes for a breakthrough between the two countries. However, Tuesday’s strikes could significantly hinder any progress before it officially begins.