Pakistan carried out intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations in the border regions inside Afghanistan on Monday morning, the Foreign Office said.
“The prime target of today’s operation was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which along with Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is responsible for multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan, resulting in deaths of hundreds of civilians and law enforcement officials,” it said in a statement.
Seven Pakistani soldiers were martyred when terrorists attacked a security post in North Waziristan’s Mir Ali area on March 16.
Earlier in the day, there were reports that Pakistan bombed banned terrorist organisation’s hideouts in Paktika and Khost.
A report from Tolo News quoted Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Zabihullah Mujahid as saying that some of the border regions were out of their control.
Over the past two years, the statement added that Pakistan has repeatedly conveyed its concerns to the interim Afghan government over the presence of terror outfits including banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan inside Afghanistan.
“These terrorists pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s security and have consistently used Afghan territory to launch terror attacks inside Pakistani territory.”
The FO stated that Pakistan accorded prime importance to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, adding that the country has always prioritised dialogue and cooperation to confront the terrorist threat.
The Foreign Office reiterated that Pakistan has great respect for the people of Afghanistan, however, certain elements among “those in power” in Afghanistan were patronising TTP and using them as a proxy against Pakistan.
According to the FO, terrorist groups like outlawed TTP were a collective threat to regional peace and security.
