Pakistan says overnight strikes hit Taliban, militant sites in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Sunday that its forces launched overnight strikes inside Afghanistan that “successfully” targeted military installations and what it described as terrorist hideouts, as tensions between the two neighbors escalated.State-run Pakistan Television said the military destroyed technical support infrastructure and an equipment storage facility in southern Kandahar province.The facilities were allegedly used by the Afghan Taliban and militants to launch attacks against Pakistani civilians, the report said.In another strike, Pakistani forces targeted a tunnel in Kandahar that housed technical equipment of the Afghan Taliban and “Fitna al-Khawarij,” a term Islamabad uses for the Pakistani Taliban.Islamabad warned that the “Ghazab-lil-Haq,” or “Righteous Fury,” operation would continue until the Afghan Taliban address Pakistan’s core security concerns.There was no immediate reaction from Kabul to the Pakistani claims.The strikes came a day after Afghan forces carried out an operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, known as the Durand Line, in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar.Earlier, the Pakistani military said several rudimentary Afghan drones were intercepted in three locations across the country, leaving at least four people injured, including two children.Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have deteriorated in recent weeks as border tensions escalated, causing casualties and property damage.Some 99 people from both sides have been killed in the clashes, including 13 soldiers and one civilian in Pakistan, and 13 soldiers and 72 civilians in Afghanistan.According to United Nations data, 185 civilian casualties, including 56 deaths from indirect fire and aerial attacks, were reported in Afghanistan between Feb. 26 and March 5.Pakistan maintains it targets militants inside Afghanistan, while accusing Kabul of providing safe haven to fighters who attack its territory. Afghan authorities deny the allegation.In a related development, Pakistan on Sunday rejected remarks by India’s Ministry of External Affairs criticizing Islamabad’s strikes inside Afghanistan.Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said India’s “active support and sponsorship of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil are well known.”“India’s frustration at the destruction of its terrorist franchise in Afghanistan, as reflected in such statements, is quite understandable,” he added.India on Saturday condemned the Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory and said Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be fully respected.