Pakistan repels Afghan-based militant incursion amid escalating tensions — security sources

Residents gather near a damaged house two days after air strikes by Pakistan in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province on December 26, 2024. (AFP)

• Sources accuse Afghan Taliban of ‘persistently assisting’ armed militants instead of apprehending them
• They say no fatalities happened on Pakistan’s side, but over 15 militants and Afghan Taliban were killed

KARACHI: Pakistan’s security forces thwarted an attempted cross-border incursion by militants allegedly facilitated by Afghan Taliban authorities, security sources said on Saturday after Afghanistan’s defense ministry claimed its forces targeted several locations in Pakistan in response to airstrikes earlier this week.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of sheltering Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants and has urged Afghan officials not to allow armed factions to use their soil to target neighboring states. Afghan authorities deny these allegations, saying Pakistan’s security challenges are its internal matter.
On Thursday, Afghan authorities reported airstrikes by Pakistan’s military in an eastern border town that they said had killed 46 people. The strikes came days after the TTP claimed responsibility for killing 16 Pakistani soldiers near the Afghan border.
“On the night of December 27-28, 20 to 25 khawarij [TTP militants], using Afghan Taliban border posts, attempted to infiltrate Pakistan at two locations in Kurram and North Waziristan,” Pakistani security sources said. “Pakistani forces acted promptly, thwarting the incursion.”
They reported yet another incursion in the morning, saying it was also repelled.
“In retaliation, khawarij and Afghan Taliban jointly opened unprovoked heavy fire on Pakistani posts,” they added.
Pakistan’s forces responded decisively, reportedly inflicting significant losses on the attackers.
“Initial reports indicate that over 15 khawarij and Afghan Taliban personnel were killed, with many others injured,” the sources said. “Effective counter-fire forced the Afghan Taliban to abandon six posts.”
No fatalities were reported on the Pakistani side, though three soldiers sustained injuries. Security sources also noted Afghanistan’s unwillingness to control TTP elements operating freely on its soil, saying it strained bilateral relations.
“Instead of curbing these terrorist elements, the Afghan Taliban persistently assist them,” the sources maintain. “TTP militants operate with impunity in Afghanistan, using its territory for anti-Pakistan activities.”