Islamabad, February 22 In a midnight military operation, Pakistan targeted at least seven terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan in retaliation for recent rebel attacks, it emerged early Sunday.
In the latest terrorist incident, a lieutenant colonel and a soldier were killed in a suicide attack in the Bannu area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Pakistan has conclusive evidence that these acts of terrorism, including one at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, one each in Bajaur and Bannu, followed by another incident in Bannu on Saturday, were allegedly perpetrated by Khwarij at the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers.
"Responsibility for these attacks has also been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban belonging to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK) and their affiliates, as well as the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP)," the ministry said.
It said that despite repeated efforts by Pakistan to urge the Afghan Taliban regime to take verifiable measures to prevent the use of Afghan territory by terrorist groups and foreign proxies to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan, it "failed" to undertake any substantive action against them.
"In this context, Pakistan has carried out intelligence-based, selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban of FAK and its affiliates, as well as ISKP, in the border region of Pakistan, with precision and accuracy," it said.
The minister added that Pakistan expects and reiterates that the interim Afghan government should fulfill its obligations.
Pakistan also expects the international community to play a positive and constructive role by urging the Taliban regime to stand by its commitments as part of the Doha Agreement to deny the use of its soil against other countries; an act vital for regional and global peace and security, it stated.
It further said that Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time, "the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority".
Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have deteriorated due to the alleged failure of Kabul to stop terrorists from using its soil to attack Pakistan.
Last year in October, the two sides were briefly engaged in an armed conflict in which 23 Pakistani soldiers and over 200 Afghan Taliban soldiers were killed, according to the Pakistan army.