The Pakistani Air Force launched airstrikes against Iran early on Thursday, 18, allegedly against positions of radical groups, killing at least seven people. The attack occurred a day after Iranian forces reportedly attacked camps in one armed group in Pakistan and increasing tensions between neighboring nations.
According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the country's armed forces carried out “precise military strikes” against socalled terrorist hideouts in southeastern Iran. Several militants were killed, the ministry said in a statement.
“This morning's actions were taken in light of credible intelligence of impending largescale terrorist activity,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. “This action reflects Pakistan’s unwavering resolve to protect and defend its national security from all threats.”
A Pakistani flag flies in Islamabad, Pakistan on July 27, 2022. The Pakistan Air Force launched retaliatory airstrikes against Iran on Thursday, January 18, 2024, reportedly targeting militant positions. Photo: Rahmat Gul / AP
A Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pakistan had attacked at least seven camps used by ethnic Baloch separatists about 30 miles (48 km) inside the border. The official said the Air Force's fighter jets and drones were used in Pakistan's retaliatory strikes.
A day earlier, Iran carried out an airstrike in Pakistan's Balochistan province that killed two children. The Iranian government later said that the attack in Pakistan, as well as attacks in Iraq and Syria, demonstrated that the Iran would respond with violence to enemies everywhere.
The Iranian attack would be in retaliation for an attack on a ceremony marking the death of Revolutionary Guard leader Qasan Soleimani earlier this year, which left dozens dead.
In recent days, Iran has carried out attacks on targets in Syria, Iraq and Pakistan and has also provided military support to the terrorist group Hamas in its war against Israel GazaWhat started in October. The Iranian government also sends weapons and money to other groups that threaten to become involved in the conflict, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthi militia in Yemen.
Pakistan has long claimed that Baloch separatists, who have waged a lowlevel insurgency in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province for decades, have hideouts across the border in Iran. Iran has also accused Pakistan of not doing enough to contain militants targeting Iranian security.
“A calculated and timely response was necessary to refute Iran's miscalculation that a surprise and unprovoked military attack against Pakistan would lead to not a strong response but a calibrated and rapid response,” said Syed Muhammad Ali, a Pakistanbased security analyst. Islamabad, in an interview.
He added that both sides had strong incentives to cool tensions after Pakistan responded, “since neither country will gain anything from another exchange of blows or military escalation.”
Following the Pakistani attack in Iran, channels on the Iranian Revolutionary Guardrun messaging app Telegram showed images of rubble in residential areas near the border with Pakistan on Thursday. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran confirmed that several explosions had occurred in the border area./NYT and AP