Afghanistan warns of response after reported Pakistani airstrikes

KABUL — Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said Sunday it would respond to reported Pakistani airstrikes on its territory with an “appropriate and measured response” at a “suitable time.”In a statement posted on X, the ministry condemned the attacks “in the strongest possible terms,” calling them a violation of national sovereignty, international law, principles of good neighborliness and Islamic values.It said targeting civilian and religious centers reflects intelligence and security shortcomings and added that “such repeated acts of aggression will never be able to conceal their internal shortcomings.”Afghan media and Pakistan’s Ministry of Information reported that Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes in several areas of eastern and southeastern Afghanistan.Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on X that in a “retributive response,” intelligence-based operations targeted seven camps and hideouts belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Islamic State Khorasan Province in border regions.The ministry said the strikes followed recent suicide bombings in Pakistan and urged the interim Afghan government to prevent militants from using Afghan territory to launch attacks against Pakistan.Pakistan earlier vowed to avenge the killing of two security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, warning that attacks launched from Afghanistan would not go unanswered.