ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar has said that no civilian areas were targeted in the ongoing Afghanistan operation and Pakistani strikes were solely aimed at militant infrastructure and support networks, his office said on Monday.
The statement came after the Afghan Taliban government and the United Nations mission in Kabul accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas during the ongoing operation, “Ghazab Lil Haq,” or the “Wrath for Truth.”
Clashes between the countries began on Feb. 26, when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military along their shared border in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes on what Islamabad said were militant camps inside Afghanistan.
In a conversation with foreign media correspondents, Tarar said that Pakistan was taking action inside Afghanistan based on “accurate” intelligence information.
“Pakistan has not targeted any civilian area in Afghanistan,” he was quoted as saying by his ministry. “Pakistan is only targeting the infrastructure of terrorists and their support system.”
The minister denied reports of civilian deaths, saying the UN agency was “completely dependent on the Taliban government” for information. The UN rights chief said Friday that 56 Afghan civilians had been killed, nearly half of them children, since the hostilities began.
Tarar also dismissed as “just propaganda” the claims made by an Afghan defense ministry spokesperson about inflicting battlefield losses on Pakistan. Tarar said on Sunday that 583 Afghan Taliban fighters had so far been killed in Pakistani strikes, a claim difficult to verify independently.
Islamabad has long accused Kabul of sheltering militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and says Islamabad’s security challenges are an internal matter.
Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks, saying the operation will continue until its objectives are met.
“There is a nexus between the Afghan Taliban government and several terrorist organizations operating from Afghan soil,” Tarar added.
