ISPR says strikes targeted Afghan Taliban arms, not civilians

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said that recent strikes in Kabul targeted ammunition and weapons belonging to the Afghan Taliban, including a drone facility, and rejected reports of civilian casualties as “propaganda”.

In a detailed statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt-Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that the targets included an ammunition storage site and a depot for Taliban drones.

“The explosions seen across the city were due to the detonation of stored ammunition,” he said.

Lt-Gen Chaudhry said claims of civilian deaths were false, adding that Taliban fighters often do not wear uniforms and operate in civilian clothing, complicating identification.

He accused the Taliban of using drug addicts as suicide bombers and said Pakistan was engaged in a war against terrorism imposed upon it.

Pakistan has repeatedly said militants operating from Afghan soil are responsible for attacks on its territory, including assaults on mosques, police and civilians.

Lt-Gen Chaudhry alleged that India was backing militant activity, saying drones used against Pakistan had been supplied to Afghan Taliban fighters by India. New Delhi has previously denied such accusations.

“Our fight is not with the Afghan people, who themselves are being held hostage by terrorists,” he said, describing militant groups as “Indian-sponsored”.

He said that Pakistan had carried out 81 strikes against militant infrastructure inside Afghanistan, including what he described as a military camp and ammunition storage site in Kabul.

Pakistan said it exercised restraint in targeting and did not strike civilian infrastructure, adding that leadership of militant groups was based in Afghanistan.

Lt-Gen Chaudhry also said attackers involved in incidents such as a mosque bombing in Tarlai had crossed over from Afghanistan, and that five militants killed in an attack on a cadet college in Wana were Afghan nationals.

He said thousands of Pakistanis had been killed in militant violence and reiterated that the country had not initiated the conflict but was responding to attacks.

The ISPR chief also accused the Afghan Taliban of making “false claims” and deleting statements, and questioned why alleged ammunition storage sites were located near civilian facilities.

Pakistan said cross-border militancy and smuggling had declined following its operations, adding that more than 200 counter-terrorism operations were being conducted daily by Pakistan.