Pakistan says strikes in Afghanistan and border operation killed 29 militants after Karachi attack

Pakistani security forces killed 29 militants during a ground operation and calibrated strikes along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Sunday. The operation targeted hideouts of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khwarij. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said it responded to multiple militant attacks across the country.

Militants armed with guns and explosives attacked the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers in Karachi the day before, killing three soldiers. Security forces killed three attackers and arrested one wounded assailant identified as an Afghan national. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack in a statement Saturday night.

Tarar said forces first conducted an intelligence-based ground operation in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. High-value Khwarji Commander Khan Farosh was killed along with three others there. Precise targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khwarij was carried out in the border region.

Three targets in Afghanistan's Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces were destroyed, killing 25 terrorists, Tarar said. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the targeted hideouts were also destroyed. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of harboring militants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan.

Kabul denies the charge. "Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time shall not compromise on the safety and security of our citizens, which remains our top priority," Tarar said.