Afghanistan’s Taliban forces on Wednesday carried out fresh strikes on targets along the border with Pakistan, injuring several people in southwestern Balochistan province.Afghanistan’s armed forces claimed that the targeted sites in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were hosting bases of Islamic State Khorasan, an affiliate of the Islamic State.According to Afghanistan-based TOLOnews, Afghanistan’s defence ministry said that the targeted sites were being used to plan sabotage operations and attacks against civilians inside Afghanistan.The ministry added that the strikes were conducted with precision, inflicting heavy casualties and significant material losses on the group while causing no civilian casualties.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military said that it shot down four rudimentary drones and warned that any further provocation “would receive a befitting response”.This comes just days after Pakistan launched airstrikes on Afghanistan, killing at least 28 civilians.However, Pakistan said that those killed in the strikes were militants. ‘Blatant act of aggression’Earlier on Monday, India condemned Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan over the weekend, calling them “reckless” and a “blatant act of aggression” that threatened regional peace.In a statement, the foreign ministry said that India “strongly condemns” the Pakistani airstrikes conducted on Afghan territory in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, which Islamabad claimed targeted terrorist hideouts. The statement said the attack resulted in several civilian casualties, including women and children.“This blatant act of aggression by Pakistan is an assault on Afghanistan’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional peace and stability. It reflects Pakistan’s persistent pattern of reckless behaviour and its futile attempt to externalise internal failures through desperate acts of violence beyond its borders,” the statement read.Tensions have reignited in the region after months of relative calm. The two countries had agreed to a ceasefire in October following weeks of deadly clashes.Intermittent border clashes and air strikes in the area have killed dozens of people in recent months, according to officials in both countries. In February, clashes between the two countries left dozens of people dead.Earlier in June, Pakistan launched deadly air strikes that killed 26 militants. Afghanistan’s Taliban government said that 13 people, mostly children, were also killed in the strikes.
