Pakistan Launches Cross-Border Operation Along Afghanistan Frontier, Says 29 Militants Killed
Pakistan Launches Cross-Border Operation Along Afghanistan Frontier, Says 29 Militants Killed Published By, Last Updated: June 29, 2026, 07:38 IST The operation came a day
Pakistan Launches Cross-Border Operation Along Afghanistan Frontier, Says 29 Militants Killed Published By, Last Updated: June 29, 2026, 07:38 IST The operation came a day after militants armed with guns and explosives stormed the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in Karachi, killing three soldiers. Rapid Read Representational image of Afghan Taliban fighters near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province | Photo Credit: Reuters Pakistani security forces on Sunday launched a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border before carrying out “calibrated strikes" on militant hideouts and safe havens, killing 29 fighters, officials said. According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the operation was launched in response to a series of militant attacks across Pakistan. He shared the announcement in a post on X. There was no immediate reaction from Afghanistan. Pakistan has faced a sharp rise in militant violence in recent years, with police and security personnel frequently coming under attack.
Authorities have blamed the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, and its allied groups for most of the incidents. The operation came a day after militants armed with guns and explosives stormed the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in Karachi, killing three soldiers. Security forces killed three of the attackers and arrested another suspect, whom the military identified as an injured Afghan national. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack in a statement issued on Saturday night (June 27). Tarar said the latest operation near the Afghan border targeted hideouts and safe havens used by the Pakistani Taliban. While the Pakistani Taliban are allied with the Afghan Taliban, the two groups are separate organisations. The Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The latest military action is expected to further deepen tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The cross-border operation took place less than three weeks after Pakistan’s military conducted airstrikes on what it described as militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.
Those strikes followed about a month of relative calm after what Islamabad had called an “open war" between the two neighbouring countries, despite international efforts to broker lasting peace. The latest escalation follows months of back-and-forth military action. Since February, hundreds of people have been killed in cross-border clashes that began after Afghanistan launched retaliatory strikes in response to Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory. Several rounds of internationally mediated peace talks have failed to produce a lasting ceasefire. China also hosted talks between the two countries in April and later said Islamabad and Kabul had agreed to avoid further escalation and explore a peaceful resolution. Since last year, Pakistan has carried out multiple strikes along the border and inside Afghanistan, targeting what it says are TTP and other militant hideouts. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of providing sanctuary to militants responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan, particularly the TTP.
The BriefWire