WHY CROSS-BORDER TERROR HAS AF-PAK ADDRESS

ON September 22, Pakistan’s air force bombed select villages in the country’s remote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.

- TK VINEETH @Kochi

Several JF-17 jets flew over the area and dropped eight Chinese-made LS-6 precision-guided glide bombs — in an apparent bid to obliterate parts of the villages. Initial reports said at least 30 civilians, including women and children, were killed in the predawn strikes that flattened multiple houses killing the inhabitants in their sleep.

The unusual attack sparked protests in the Pashtun-dominated province and raised questions as to why the Pakistan military was attacking its own people. Pakistani media reports said the strikes were against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known for its guerilla warfare tactics and hostility towards Pakistani security forces. However, the high civilian casualties in Khyber put the Pakistani military on the back foot, and the domestic opposition parties accused it of endangering the lives of civilians with its reckless air strikes. Pakistan’s human rights body also hit out at the military, expressing shock over the civilian deaths and demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident.

The strikes were part of a larger plan to deal with the spurt in TTP attacks on the Pakistani military. Pakistan accused the Taliban government of harbouring TTP fighters, a claim rejected by the Afghan Taliban.

Rapid escalation

Following the initial Khyber strike, Pakistan launched further attacks inside Afghan territory on October 9, targeting TTP positions in Kabul, Khost, Jalalabad, and Paktika. Its jets and drones targeted key TTP commanders, including the outfit’s chief Noor Wali Mehsud. The TTP chief escaped unhurt as he was travelling in an armoured vehicle, but over 40 civilians were reportedly injured in the Kabul attack and considerable structural damage was inflicted on the Afghan border.