Pakistan Conducts Airstrikes in Afghanistan After Drone Attacks

Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes on 10 locations in Afghanistan early Thursday, targeting sites it claims were used for launching and storing drones that attacked Pakistan a day earlier.

The Taliban confirmed the strikes in Kandahar, Khost, and Paktia provinces, stating that at least four civilians were killed and vowing an appropriate response. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesperson, condemned the indiscriminate and cowardly attacks as a violation of Afghanistan's sovereignty. Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated the strikes were deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks.

Tarar condemned Wednesday's deliberate and unlawful drone incursion as a blatant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. He warned that any further provocative act by Afghan Taliban will be responded with firm and resolute response. Taliban officials denied launching drones against Pakistan on Wednesday. The escalation follows an attack on a police facility in northwestern Pakistan last week that killed at least 24 people, and earlier Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan that killed 28 militants, according to Pakistan, and three civilians, according to Afghan officials. The European Union Delegation to Afghanistan called for the protection of civilians and respect for international humanitarian law following the recent Pakistani airstrikes.