Pakistan has carried out “well-planned and calibrated” air strikes on terrorist hideouts at two locations in Afghanistan, killing 22 terrorists according to initial reports, the Ministry of Information said on Thursday.
“In continuation of Operation Ghazab lil Haq and Pakistan’s resolve to eliminate terrorists, their networks and supporters, well-planned and calibrated aerial strikes against the hideouts and safe havens of terrorist organisations of Fitna al Khwarij and Fitna al Hindustan have been conducted, killing multiple terrorists,” the ministry said in a post on X, Dawn reported.
The state uses the term Fitna al Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and Fitna al Hindustan for designated Balochistan-based groups, to highlight India’s role in terrorism in Pakistan.
“Precision and accuracy”
The ministry said the strikes were based on credible intelligence and targeted camps and hideouts belonging to the two groups and their affiliates “with precision and accuracy”.
- Terrorists killed: 22, according to initial reports
- Locations: two, inside Afghanistan
- Weapons: “large quantities of weapons and ammunition” stored at the hideouts were destroyed
- Civilians: “maximum precaution” was taken to ensure “no collateral damage”
“The threat emanates from Afghanistan”
The ministry said Pakistan had always stressed regional peace and stability, but that the safety of its citizens remained the “foremost priority”.
It warned that Afghanistan “continues to remain a hub of terrorism. The threat to Pakistan emanates from Afghanistan”. The campaign, it said, would continue at “full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.
Kabul’s appeals ignored
Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration in Kabul to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, especially those of the TTP, which are used to launch attacks in Pakistan. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.
A UN Security Council monitoring report covering December 16, 2025 to June 9, 2026 found that the Afghan Taliban’s continued support for the TTP had contributed to a rise in the frequency and lethality of attacks in Pakistan. It also pointed to growing links between the TTP, Al Qaeda, Islamic State-Khorasan and the Baloch Liberation Army.
A month of escalation
September saw another round of conflict on the border:
- February 26: Operation Ghazab lil Haq was launched after unprovoked cross-border firing by the Afghan Taliban
- September 21: after major terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan struck hideouts in the border region, killing more than 28 terrorists
- Days later: Pakistan shot down eight drones launched from Afghanistan near Torkham and Kohat, then carried out precision aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations across Afghanistan
- September 26: the Foreign Office delivered a demarche to the Afghan side over drone violations of Pakistani airspace on September 23
The information ministry also rejected claims by Afghanistan’s defence ministry last week that a Pakistani post had been destroyed near Spin Boldak, on the border between Balochistan and Kandahar.
Why it matters
Pakistan has lost thousands of soldiers and civilians to terrorists operating from Afghan soil. Thursday’s strikes, the third round in a month, send a clear message that Islamabad will act wherever the threat comes from if Kabul will not. Read our reports on Tarar’s warning to the Afghan Taliban and on Pakistan’s rejection of Taliban claims over Nuristan.
This article draws on reporting by Dawn.
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