KABUL – Afghan Taliban forces have targeted “several points” in neighboring Pakistan, according to Afghanistan’s Defence Ministry on Saturday. This action comes days after Pakistani aircraft conducted aerial bombardment inside Afghanistan.
The Defence Ministry’s statement did not explicitly mention Pakistan but referred to the strikes as being conducted “beyond the ‘hypothetical line'”—a term used by Afghan authorities to describe the disputed border with Pakistan.
“Several points beyond the hypothetical line, serving as centers and hideouts for malicious elements and their supporters who organized and coordinated attacks in Afghanistan, were targeted in retaliation from the southeastern direction of the country,” the ministry stated.
When asked if the statement referred to Pakistan, ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khowarazmi said, “We do not consider it to be the territory of Pakistan, therefore, we cannot confirm the territory, but it was on the other side of the hypothetical line.”
For decades, Afghanistan has rejected the border known as the Durand Line, drawn by British colonial authorities in the 19th century through the mountainous tribal belt between what is now Afghanistan and Pakistan.
No details of casualties or specific areas targeted were provided. The Pakistani military’s public relations wing and a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Afghan authorities had warned on Wednesday that they would retaliate after the Pakistani bombardment, which they claimed had killed civilians. Islamabad stated that it had targeted hideouts of Islamist militants along the border.