2 killed, 4 injured in explosion in NW Pakistan

Last night (Tuesday), Pakistan bombarded four points in the Barmal district of Paktika province. The total number of dead is 46, most of whom were children and women,

spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said

This cowardly attack will not go unanswered,

the statement warned, without elaborating

Afghanistan considers this brutal act a blatant violation of all international principles and an obvious act of aggression... The Islamic Emirate will not leave this cowardly act unanswered,

said Enayatullah Khowrazmi, the spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense

Arguments from Afghan officials claiming civilians are being harmed are baseless and misleading,

he added, speaking on condition of anonymity

The interim Taliban regime has been repeatedly urged to take action against the TTP, but their response has been lukewarm,

he said

The bombardment hit two or three houses, in one house, 18 people were killed, the whole family lost their lives,

he said

This clear aggression is contrary to all international principles. The Pakistani side should understand that such actions will not solve any problems. The Islamic Emirate will defend its territory and consider this its inalienable right."

Calling the incident a "barbaric act," the MoD added

The TTP, with 6,000 fighters, is the largest listed terrorist organisation operating in Afghanistan. With safe havens close to our border, it poses a direct and daily threat to Pakistan’s security,

Pakistani diplomat Usman Iqbal Jadoon said at the UN briefing

But this also presents a big challenge to us, and a matter to introspect, that despite four decades of engagement in Afghanistan, we still have not developed diplomatic skills to hold dialogue with rulers in Afghanistan, whoever it might be, in a constructive manner,

Rana said

The actual reaction may come from the Pakistani Taliban, who have been discussing revenge attacks in their internal communications already, alleging that the strikes killed their women and children,

the Islamabad-based Tipu said

Historically, Pakistan’s approach has been personality-driven rather than strategy-driven. Actions such as cross-border air strikes should be part of a comprehensive and well-planned policy instead of reactive measures,

Tipu, who is also the co-founder of The Khorasan Diary, a security research portal, told Al Jazeera

Discussions within military circles have focused on conducting offensives on Afghan soil after the recent surge in attacks against security personnel. These strikes appear to be triggered by last week’s attacks on soldiers,

Rana told Al Jazeera

Sadiq’s visit was more about conveying the government message to share its apprehensions about increasing attacks by TTP networks which operate from Afghanistan, and was likely a trust-building exercise,

he added

With Sadiq’s reappointment as special envoy, there were hopes for détente between the two countries. However, Tuesday’s strikes may significantly hinder any progress before it formally begins,

he said