PAKISTAN SAYS 29 MILITANTS KILLED IN CROSS-BORDER STRIKES NEAR AFGHANISTAN BORDER. (PHOTO).

 Pakistan says 29 militants killed in cross-border strikes near Afghanistan border

 Pakistani security forces conducted a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Sunday, followed by targeted “calibrated strikes” on suspected militant hideouts, killing 29 fighters, according to officials.

Authorities said the operation was carried out in response to a series of militant attacks across the country. There was no immediate reaction from Afghan authorities.

In recent years, Pakistan has faced a rise in militant violence targeting police and security personnel, with officials frequently blaming the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and allied groups.

The latest action came a day after militants attacked the regional headquarters of paramilitary Rangers in Karachi, killing three soldiers. Security forces later killed three attackers and detained another suspect, who was identified by the military as an injured Afghan national. A breakaway faction of the TTP claimed responsibility for that assault.

Officials said Sunday’s operation targeted TTP-linked hideouts and safe havens near the border. The TTP is distinct from the Afghan Taliban, though the groups are considered allies. The Afghan Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

The strikes are expected to further strain already tense relations between Islamabad and Kabul, which have repeatedly clashed over cross-border militancy.

The latest escalation follows weeks of renewed violence after earlier airstrikes and retaliatory attacks across the border disrupted a brief period of relative calm. Hundreds of people have been killed in cross-border incidents since earlier rounds of fighting began, despite multiple attempts at negotiated de-escalation involving international mediators.

Pakistan has carried out repeated operations inside and along the Afghan border in recent months, while accusing Afghanistan’s authorities of harboring militants responsible for attacks inside its territory. Afghan officials have denied those allegations.