Pakistan hits seven terrorist camps in Afghan border region

Pakistan said on Sunday it launched multiple air strikes targeting militants in neighbouring Afghanistan, where the Taliban government reported children were among dozens of people killed and wounded.

Citing three attacks since the start of Ramadan last week, Pakistan "has carried out intelligence-based selective targeting of seven Terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban" and its affiliates in the border region, a statement by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

The statement posted on X by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Pakistan had also targeted an affiliate of Daesh group. It did not indicate where the strikes were carried out or give further details on them.

The ministry said they were carried out in response to a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad two weeks ago and other more recent suicide bombings in northwest Pakistan.

Relatives and soldiers carry the casket of Lieutenant Colonel Gul Faraz, who was killed in the suicide bombing in Bannu, for his burial following a funeral prayer in Mansehra, Pakistan, on Sunday. AP

The overnight attacks were the most extensive since border clashes in October killed more than 70 people on both sides and wounded hundreds.

Islamabad said it hit seven sites along the border region targeting Afghanistan-based militant groups "in the aftermath of recent suicide bombing incidents in Pakistan."

The military targeted the Pakistani Taliban and its associates, as well as an affiliate of Daesh group, a statement by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said.

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Sunday said that nearly 70 militants were killed in Pakistani strikes targeting terrorist hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghan border.

The government said that intelligence-based strikes were carried out, targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna Al Khawarij (FAK), its affiliates and the Daesh-Khorasan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to recent suicide attacks in Pakistan.

Local residents stand next to a damaged car at the site of a cross-border Pakistani army strike in the Behsud district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Hedayat Shah)

"Afghanistan has long been exporting terrorism. Pakistan is taking all actions to secure the life and property of its citizens," the state minister said while speaking on Geo News' programme "Geo Pakistan" on Sunday.

Afghanistan's defence ministry said "dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were martyred and wounded" when strikes hit a madrasa and homes in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.

An AFP journalist in Nangarhar's Bihsud district said residents from around the remote and mountainous area joined rescuers in one village, using a digger and shovels to search for bodies under the rubble.

"People here are ordinary people. The residents of this village are our relatives. When the bombing happened, one person who survived was shouting for help," said neighbour Amin Gul Amin, 37.

Residents gather at the site, following the Pakistani airstrikes, in Bihsud district, Nangarhar province. Reuters

Nangarhar police told AFP the bombardment started at around midnight and hit three districts.
"Civilians were killed. In one house, there were 23 family members. Five wounded people were taken out," said police spokesperson Sayed Tayeeb Hammad.

'Calculated response'

Afghanistan's defence ministry said it will "deliver an appropriate and calculated response" to the Pakistani strikes.

The two countries have been locked in an increasingly bitter dispute since the Taliban authorities retook control of Afghanistan in 2021.

Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians between October and December, according to the UN mission in Afghanistan.

Several rounds of negotiations followed an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, but they have failed to produce a lasting agreement.

Saudi Arabia intervened this month, mediating the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured by Afghanistan in October.
The deteriorating relationship has hit people in both countries, with the land border largely shut for months.

Afghan men search for victims after an overnight Pakistani airstrike in the Girdi Kas village of Bihsud district. AFP

Pakistan said on Sunday that despite repeated urging by Islamabad, the Taliban authorities have failed to act against militant groups using Afghan territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan. The Afghan government has denied harbouring militants.

Islamabad launched the strikes after a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad two weeks ago and other such attacks more recently in northwestern Pakistan.

Daesh group had claimed responsibility for the mosque bombing, which killed at least 40 people and wounded more than 160 in the deadliest attack in Islamabad since 2008.

The militant group's regional chapter, Daesh-Khorasan, also claimed a deadly suicide bombing at a Kabul restaurant last month.

Agencies