Pakistan's strikes against TTP leaders in Kabul were signal of new doctrine: Report

Islamabad, Nov 24 (PTI) Pakistan's retaliatory strikes targeting Tehreek-e-Taliban's top leaders in Kabul last month were a signal of a new doctrine that Islamabad will act if the Afghan Taliban fails to take action against militants carrying out cross-border attacks from Afghanistan, according to a media report.

The deadly strikes in the heart of Kabul was aimed at sending what officials described as an "unmistakable message" to the Taliban regime that Pakistan would no longer restrict its counterterrorism responses to its own soil, The Express Tribune newspaper reported on Monday, quoting official sources.

"The Kabul strikes were not a one-off episode," said a senior source. "They were a signal of a new doctrine. If the Taliban fail to act, Pakistan will act." The strike, widely interpreted as Pakistan's most assertive move since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, targeted hideouts and facilitators responsible for orchestrating recent attacks inside Pakistan.

Citing officials familiar with the assessment, the paper said the Kabul operation has had a "psychological impact" on the Afghan Taliban's leadership and security apparatus.

"Since the Kabul strikes, there is a clear element of fear and caution within the Taliban ranks," one official said. "They now understand that Pakistan will chase the TTP or any other group wherever it finds them, even inside Kabul." The official said that in the immediate aftermath of the recent terrorist attack in Islamabad, Afghan Taliban interlocutors privately reached out to Pakistani authorities with requests to de-escalate and conveyed that they had "no involvement" in the suicide attack outside the judicial complex.

"This was a very unusual move," the official noted. "In previous incidents, they would either dismiss Pakistan's concerns or shift blame towards TTP factions. This time, they pleaded behind the scenes, insisting they were not behind the attack." The reason was that the Taliban regime feared retribution from Pakistan. Kabul now understands that Islamabad has the reach and capacity to hit targets deep inside Afghanistan.

Authorities have observed a decline in the number of terrorist attacks following the Kabul strikes, officials said. While they caution that the threat has not disappeared, the reduction is being viewed as a direct consequence of the deterrence established by Pakistan's willingness to hit high-value targets inside Afghanistan.

"After Kabul, they know the cost," said an official. "For the first time in years, Pakistan's message has been loud and clear: if you allow your soil to be used against us, there will be consequences and those consequences may be delivered inside Afghanistan." Officials also believe that the strikes disrupted certain TTP networks and forced the group into a defensive posture, limiting its ability to coordinate follow-up attacks.

Sources emphasised that Pakistan's policy is now unambiguous; any future attack originating from Afghan soil will be met with a "swift and decisive" response.

"Pakistan will not wait for protracted diplomatic exchanges," an official asserted. "Our red line is simple. If there is another attack, we will act immediately." PTI SH ZH ZH