Pakistan’dan Afganistan sınırında misilleme: 26 militan öldürüldü

Pakistan strikes terrorist hideouts along Afghan border, kills 26 militants: minister

Pakistan has carried out strikes on terrorist hideouts along its border with Afghanistan and killed 26 terrorists, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Wednesday. The strikes come a day after six Federal Constabulary personnel were martyred and four received injuries while responding to an attempt by terrorists to capture a post in Peshawar’s Hassan Khel area. The forces managed to foil the attempt to capture the post and killed eight terrorists in retaliatory action, sources said, adding that three personnel had been abducted by the attackers. Last month, a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu also claimed the lives of 15 police personnel, following which the Foreign Office in Islamabad said that the Afghan chargé d’affaires had been summoned and handed a “strong demarche”. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration since then to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded. For their part, the Afghan Taliban have denied the allegations and say militancy in Pakistan is an internal problem. In February, Pakistan had launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border. During the operation, Pakistan has said it targeted terror infrastructure, including ammunition and equipment storage sites. a Islamabad has also denied Afghan claims of targeting civilian facilities. The operation was paused briefly in March during Eidul Fitr. Meanwhile, China has been mediating between the two sides. After hosting their first meeting in Urumqi, Xinjiang, in April — aimed at bringing an end to the Islamabad-Kabul animosity — Beijing intends to hold a second meeting to keep the process on track, according to people familiar with discussions. There was a lull in hostilities following the Urumqi meeting until the latest strikes on Wednesday. For its part, the FO has underscored that progress in ties with Afghanistan hinges on credible counter-terrorism assurances from Kab­ul, particularly a commitment that its soil would not be used for attacks against Pakistan.