Exclusive: Pakistan launches airstrikes against TTP deep inside Afghanistan, sources tell WION

Pakistan on Monday (March 18) launched airstrikes on hideouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) deep inside Afghanistan in parts of Kunar and Paktika in retaliation to last week's TTP attack on the military, sources told WION.

While a statement from Pakistan isawaited, government sources on the Pakistan side maintained that the target of the air strike was TTP commander Abdullah Shah.A Taliban spokesperson later confirmed the airstrikes but claimed that Pakistan planes bombed the houses of civilians, a claim which could not be immediately verified.

Sources added that locations in Kunar, Paktika, and Khost were targeted in the airstrikes where the Pakistan Air Force was utilised.

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Sources further elaborated that Pakistan Air Force's both manned and unmanned power was used in which seven hideouts were targeted in three locations with over a dozen airstrikes.

Pakistan strikes TTP hideouts after Mir Ali terror attack

The retaliatory strikes inside Afghanistan come after seven Pakistan Army soldiers, including a Lieutenant Colonel and Captain, were killed during a terrorist assault on a security checkpoint in the volatile Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Mir Ali.

The attack, orchestrated by six terrorists, took place in the North Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan. The assailants targeted the check post in Mir Ali by ramming an explosives-laden vehicle.

During the subsequent clearance operation, all six terrorists were neutralised. But Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar also lost their lives in the exchange of fire.

Also watch |Pakistan attacks TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan: Sources

Following the attack in Mir Ali, the Afghan de-facto government's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi dialled Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to congratulate him on his appointment and spoke about counter-terror measures in an apparent bid to prevent any Pakistani action. But Monday's retaliatory action shows that Afghanistan's de-facto government's efforts to avert Pakistan's retaliation did not yield any result.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack.

President Zardari and Army Chief General Asim Munir also attended the funeral of deceased soldiers later on March 17.

The Pakistan Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), had established its presence in North Waziristan andplanned attacks. However, the military claimed that it rooted out the militants from the region.

The TTP emerged in 2007 following the Pakistani military's operations in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. The group has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Pakistan, hitting both military and civilian targets.