Pakistan Says 26 TTP Militants Killed In Air Strikes Inside Afghanistan; Kabul Reports Civilian Deaths

Pakistan on Wednesday said it carried out overnight air strikes on alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in Afghanistan, claiming the operation killed 26 militants, while Kabul said the attacks struck civilian homes and caused multiple casualties.

The strikes mark the third armed conflict between the two countries since October last year and come amid continuing tensions over cross-border militancy. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of failing to prevent attacks from its territory, while the Afghan Taliban government has rejected the allegations. The latest action also comes as China seeks to ease tensions between Islamabad and Kabul.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that in the aftermath of recent terrorist incidents in Pakistan, “precise and calibrated strikes were carried out along Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas on hideouts and safe havens of masterminds and planners belonging to Fitna Al Khwarij, killing 26 khawarijs.” Pakistan uses the term Fitna-al-Khawarij for the banned TTP.

Among the recent incidents cited by Tarar were a terrorist attack on a Federal Constabulary post in Musa Dara on June 9, vehicle-borne suicide attacks on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2, and an attack on a police station in Bannu on May 9.

“Based on credible intelligence, selective targeting of camps and hideouts was carried out with precision and accuracy. Four targets were completely destroyed including a training centre, a hideout & an ammunition cache and a Marakiz (hub) belonging to the Fitna Al Khwarij Commander Aleem Khan Khushali and Commander Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel,” Tarar said in a statement on X.

He also said Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time “the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority.”

Earlier, the Afghan government said Pakistan's air strikes killed several people in the overnight attack. According to PTI, Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes in Kunar, Khost and Paktika caused casualties.

“Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika. As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed, while 14 other women and children were injured,” he said.

Pakistan blames Afghanistan for not doing enough to prevent attacks from its soil against Pakistan.

The current strikes came amid efforts by China to bring peace between the two countries.

Before that, in February, Tarar had alleged that there was an “undeniable nexus” between the Afghan Taliban and the terrorist organisations carrying out attacks on Pakistani soil.

Pakistan on February 27 said it was in an “open war” with Afghanistan after its forces killed more than 270 Taliban fighters and injured over 400 others in air strikes in response to what Islamabad described as a cross-border attack by the Afghan Taliban, PTI reported.

Afghanistan's Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid had then said that Afghan forces killed 55 Pakistani soldiers and targeted what he described as “important military objectives” inside Pakistan.

On March 18, Pakistan and Afghanistan announced a “temporary pause” in fighting in view of Eid-ul-Fitr and at the request of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, a day after the Afghan government accused Islamabad of killing 400 people in an attack on a rehabilitation hospital in Kabul, reported PTI.

Earlier, after last year's conflict with Afghanistan, Pakistan shut its border on October 11 after clashes with Afghanistan, which were prompted by allegations that Kabul was not doing enough to stop the use of its soil by terrorists.

In the brief armed conflict, 23 Pakistani soldiers and over 200 Afghan Taliban soldiers were killed, according to the Pakistan Army.

The two countries share a 2,611-kilometre-long border known as the Durand Line, which Kabul has not formally recognised.

(With inputs from PTI)