The story so far: In a major escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan this week, Pakistani fighters carried out airstrikes inside the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost, leading to fighting along the border. At least eight civilians, including three children, were killed in the pre-dawn attacks, Afghan officials said.
The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other splinter groups were the prime target of the “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” early on March 18, the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said, blaming TTP for the surge in terror incidents in the country. Most recently, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing at an army outpost in North Waziristan district, for which President Asif Ali Zardari had vowed retaliation.