Pakistan will continue to conduct attacks against Afghanistan as part of a new military operation to counter terrorism, the country’s defense minister has told the BBC.
Khawaja Asif stated that the aerial strikes are targeting groups that Pakistan accuses of attacking its security forces and civilians.
Previously, senior officials in Pakistan had only acknowledged one such strike on the neighboring country, which occurred in March of this year.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has described these strikes as violations of its sovereignty.
“It’s correct that we have been carrying out operations in Afghanistan, and we will continue to do so. We won’t serve them with cake and pastries. If attacked, we’ll attack back,” Mr Asif told BBC Urdu.
He also dismissed fears over the legality of the strikes, saying Pakistan does not inform the Taliban of impending attacks.
He said: “This would eliminate the element of surprise. Why should we tell them, ‘get ready, we are coming’?”
The Taliban said the statement was “irresponsible”, warning Pakistan that cross-border attacks would have “consequences”.
Tensions have been rising between Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country in 2021. Pakistan alleges that a faction of the Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban or TTP, has sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
“Afghanistan has been reluctant to take action against the TTP, despite our requests to let them not use Afghan soil to attack Pakistan,” Mr Asif said.
Pakistan has recently announced a renewed military operation named “Resolve for Stability” in English, aimed at reducing escalating violence and terrorist attacks, particularly focusing on groups operating within Pakistan.
Critics, including some within the government, have suggested that the new operation was launched in response to pressure from Beijing. This pressure stems from concerns over the safety of China’s 29,000 citizens in Pakistan, with 2,500 involved in projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a key part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
In March 2024, five Chinese engineers were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a convoy working on a hydropower project in northwest Pakistan. Pakistan’s military had previously asserted that the attack was planned in Afghanistan, involving an Afghan national as the bomber.
Mr. Asif denied that the recent military operations were solely due to pressure from China. However, he acknowledged that these operations would address security threats to Chinese projects and nationals within Pakistan.