Pakistan hopes steep cost of airstrikes on Taliban targets will protect against terror attacks

Experts say attacks on Afghanistan are defensive, not offensive' but carry a risk of spiralling cycle of violence

An escalating Pakistani campaign of airstrikes against targets in Afghanistan is aimed at forcing the Taliban authorities to abandon their support for Pakistani militants, according to officials and experts.

The strategy is to impose such a steep cost on the Taliban administration that they act to prevent attacks emanating from Afghanistan. Yet it carries the risk of spiralling violence.