Pakistani forces conduct operations in border regions to safeguard the nation from terrorist groups, the Foreign Office said on Thursday.

“Pakistan is committed to the security of its people. Our security and law enforcement personnel conduct operations in the border areas to protect the people of Pakistan from terror groups, including TTP,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in response to queries at a press briefing in Islamabad.

This announcement followed accusations from the Taliban administration, which claimed that Pakistan had conducted an airstrike on its territory on Tuesday.

Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have escalated due to ongoing border clashes and Islamabad’s repeated calls for Kabul to take action against the banned Fitna Al Khawarij, which Pakistan alleges uses Afghan territory to launch attacks. The Afghan government has denied such claims.

The FO spokesperson’s comments mark the first official response from Pakistan regarding the recent airstrikes, which security officials confirmed targeted specific locations in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province known to be terrorists camps.

On Tuesday night, Pakistani fighter jets reportedly bombed four sites, aiming to neutralise several suspected terrorists.

“These operations are carefully selected and are based on authentic and concrete intelligence. We respect the sovereignty of Afghanistan,” she said and added that the country has always prioritised dialogue and cooperation with Afghanistan to confront the terror threat.

The FO spokesperson expressed hope that Afghanistan would prevent the use of its territory for any terror attacks against Pakistan. “We believe that terrorist groups like TTP are a collective threat to regional peace and security. It is therefore important for us to work together to combat the threat posed by TTP.”