Pakistan says 29 militants killed in strikes along Afghan border

Islamabad: Pakistani security forces carried out a ground operation along the Pakistan Afghanistan border on Sunday, followed by “calibrated strikes” on militant hideouts, killing 29 fighters, officials said.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on X that the operation responded to a series of militant attacks across the country and targeted safe havens of the Tehrik e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). There was no immediate comment from Afghanistan.

The strikes come a day after militants attacked the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in Karachi, killing three soldiers; security forces killed three attackers and detained a fourth, who the military said was an Afghan national and was wounded. Jamaat ul Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Karachi assault.

Pakistan has seen a rise in attacks on police and security forces in recent years, which authorities have largely blamed on the TTP and allied groups. Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of harbouring militants who launch deadly strikes inside Pakistan; Kabul denies the allegation.

Sunday’s operations follow a recent pattern of cross border military actions. They came fewer than three weeks after Pakistan said it had carried out airstrikes on militant positions in Afghanistan and followed months of tit for tat exchanges that have cost hundreds of lives since February. Internationally mediated talks, including discussions hosted by China in April, have so far failed to produce a lasting ceasefire.

Analysts say the latest strikes are likely to further strain already tense relations between Islamabad and Kabul and complicate regional efforts to curb militant activity.

(Inputs from AP)