Ashraf AboArafe
Pakistani forces carried out verified strikes against the Kharji Gul Bahadur group in border areas of North and South Waziristan along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border.
During a 48-hour ceasefire, Kharji fighters operating from Afghanistan attempted multiple terrorist attacks inside Pakistan; these attempts were effectively foiled by security forces. In the security forces’ response, more than 100 Kharji militants were killed.
The Gul Bahadur group also carried out a vehicle-borne IED attack in North Waziristan, in which civilians and one soldier were killed and several others injured.
Last night, precision strikes were launched against the Gul Bahadur group. Based on confirmed intelligence, an estimated 60–70 militants — including members of the group’s leadership — were killed in those strikes.
All claims alleging that civilians were deliberately targeted are false and appear intended to generate support for terrorist groups operating from inside Afghanistan. Pakistan maintains that the way forward lies in addressing the complex problem of Indian-sponsored terrorism emanating from Afghan soil through dialogue and by Afghan authorities exercising control over non-state actors. At the same time, Pakistan reserves the right to safeguard its territorial integrity and the lives of its people, and will not allow terrorists operating from Afghan soil to act with impunity.
