Pakistan Conducts Precision Airstrikes on Seven Militant Camps in Eastern Afghanistan Following Suicide Bombings

EASTERN AFGHANISTAN - Pakistan’s armed forces carried out intelligence-based airstrikes targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts along the Afghanistan border late on February 21. The operation, described by Pakistani officials as selective and precision-guided, responded to a series of suicide bombings inside Pakistan during Ramadan, including attacks on an Imam Bargah in Islamabad and security targets in Bajaur and Bannu districts.

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the strikes hit facilities linked to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, referred to by Islamabad as Fitna al Khwarij), its affiliates, and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

Targets were located in Nangarhar province (including Khogyani, Ghani Khel, and Behsud districts) and Paktika province (including Barmal district).

Pakistani sources emphasized that the action followed conclusive evidence tying the militants to attacks on Pakistani territory and that the Taliban administration in Kabul had failed to curb cross-border threats despite repeated diplomatic warnings.

Afghan media outlets reported strikes on multiple locations, with some accounts mentioning a religious seminary in Paktika and residential areas in districts such as Ghani Khel and Behsud. Reports from Afghan sources indicate civilian casualties in some areas.

Taliban leadership held emergency consultations and vowed to “strike back at the perfect time.” No formal statement from the Taliban administration in Kabul had been issued as of early February 22.

The strikes represent the latest episode in longstanding Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions centered on TTP sanctuaries. Islamabad has repeatedly stated that it possesses evidence of Afghan-based planning and direction for attacks inside Pakistan and reserves the right to defend its territory.

Official Statements

• Attaullah Tarar, Information Minister of Pakistan, February 22: “The military conducted intelligence-based, selective operations against seven camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and its affiliates.”

• Pakistan Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, February 21: The strikes were a “retributive response” to suicide bombing incidents, conducted “with precision and accuracy” against terrorist camps and hideouts.