Pakistan will continue attacks on Afghanistan - minister

Pakistan volition proceed to motorboat attacks against Afghanistan arsenic portion of a caller subject cognition aimed astatine countering terrorism, the country's defence curate has told the BBC.

Khawaja Asif said the aerial strikes were targeting groups which Pakistan accuses to targeting information forces and civilians.

Previously, elder officials successful Pakistan had lone admitted to 1 specified onslaught connected the neighbouring country, successful March of this year.

The Taliban authorities successful Afghanistan describes the strikes arsenic violations of its sovereignty.

“It’s close that we person been carrying retired operations successful Afghanistan, and we volition proceed to bash so. We won’t service them with barroom and pastries. If attacked, we’ll onslaught back,” Mr Asif told BBC Urdu.

He besides dismissed fears implicit the legality of the strikes, saying Pakistan does not pass the Taliban of impending attacks.

He said: "This would destruct the constituent of surprise. Why should we archer them, ‘get ready, we are coming’?”

The Taliban said the connection was "irresponsible", informing Pakistan that cross-border attacks would person "consequences".

Tensions person been rising betwixt Pakistan and Afghanistan since the Taliban took power of the state successful 2021. Pakistan alleges that a faction of the Taliban, the Pakistani Taliban oregon TTP, has sanctuaries successful Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan has been reluctant to instrumentality enactment against the TTP, contempt our requests to fto them not usage Afghan ungraded to onslaught Pakistan,” Mr Asif said.

Pakistan has precocious announced a renewed subject operation, Resolve for Stability" successful English, aimed astatine curbing escalating unit and violent attacks. It volition chiefly absorption connected groups acting wrong Pakistan.

Critics, and adjacent immoderate sources wrong the government, person suggested the caller cognition was launched pursuing unit from Beijing, acrophobic astir the information of its 29,000 citizens successful Pakistan, 2,500 of whom are moving connected China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects, portion of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.

Five Chinese engineers were killed erstwhile a termination bomber rammed a conveyance into a convoy of Chinese engineers moving connected a hydropower task successful northwest Pakistan successful March 2024.

Pakistan's subject antecedently alleged the onslaught was planned successful neighbouring Afghanistan, and that the bomber was besides an Afghan national.

Mr Asif denied that the astir caller subject operations had been owed to unit from China. But helium said the operations would code information threats to Chinese projects and nationals successful Pakistan.