KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1 (ANI) — Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence said Tuesday that its air force carried out airstrikes against alleged ISIS positions inside Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, warning that it would continue to target locations it considers threats to Afghanistan’s security.
According to reports, Afghan aircraft struck a facility in the Saranan area of Pishin district in Balochistan, as well as locations in the Shah Salim Valley of Chitral and Kambar Khel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Taliban administration said the targeted sites were being used to coordinate sabotage operations and plan attacks against civilians inside Afghanistan.
According to sources cited in the report, a school in the Saranan area that was allegedly being used by ISIS members and other armed groups was among the primary targets.
The Afghan Ministry of Defence said the operation killed several operatives.
“The air forces of the Afghan Ministry of Defence tonight conducted airstrikes on an ISIS joint centre and elements of evil and corruption in the Saranan area of Pishin district, Balochistan province,” the ministry said.
The operation follows a recent escalation in tensions after Pakistani cross-border airstrikes along the Afghan frontier reportedly resulted in civilian casualties.
According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 others injured in the earlier Pakistani strikes. The agency said the final casualty figures could increase.
India also condemned Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes on Afghan territory.
In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the strikes as a “blatant act of aggression” that resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, and said they posed “a direct threat to regional peace and stability.”
The ministry added that the strikes reflected “Pakistan’s persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its futile attempt to externalise internal failures through desperate acts of violence beyond its borders.”
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of harboring militant groups responsible for attacks inside its territory, allegations the Taliban administration has rejected, maintaining that militancy is Pakistan’s internal challenge.
Reiterating its position, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence warned, “We will target every location that poses a threat to our security.”
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