By Safina Khan | VOA News
London: Pakistan has carried out precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan that Islamabad says were being used to launch and store drones involved in attempted attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes were conducted in response to a drone incursion from Afghan territory on September 23. Pakistani authorities said their air-defence systems detected, tracked and neutralised the intruding drones before they could reach their intended targets.
According to the Pakistani government, the 10 targeted locations were specifically identified as sites connected to the launching and storage of drones. Tarar said the operation was carried out under Pakistan’s stated right to self-defence.
“The strikes were deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate,” Tarar said, adding that the operation was strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan.
Pakistani officials have said the operation was based on intelligence regarding the locations being used for drone-related activity. The government has also called on the Afghan authorities to prevent their territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan.
The latest strikes come amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border militancy and alleged attacks originating from Afghan territory. Afghan officials have disputed Pakistan’s claims and reported casualties from some recent Pakistani strikes.
Pakistan has maintained that it does not seek escalation but will take measures it considers necessary to protect its territory and citizens.
