ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces have launched a coordinated cross-border counterterrorism operation, carrying out precision airstrikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar provinces after an intelligence-based ground offensive along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
According to Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the operation targeted infrastructure used by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khawarij (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan/TTP), groups Islamabad blames for a recent wave of deadly terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.
The military action began with a carefully planned intelligence-driven ground operation in the border region before expanding into calibrated airstrikes against militant camps, logistical facilities, and ammunition depots across the three Afghan provinces. Pakistani authorities stated that 29 militants were killed during the combined operation, while significant quantities of weapons and explosives were destroyed.
The strikes come in response to escalating cross-border terrorism, including the recent attack on the Pakistan Rangers headquarters in Karachi. Pakistani officials maintain that militant organizations continue to exploit sanctuaries across the border to launch attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians.
Islamabad emphasized that the operation was directed exclusively at terrorist infrastructure and not at civilian populations. The government reiterated that Pakistan remains committed to regional peace and stability but reserves the right to take decisive action against groups using Afghan territory to threaten its national security.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated sharply in recent months as both sides exchange accusations over cross-border militancy. Pakistan has repeatedly urged the Afghan Taliban administration to prevent anti-Pakistan militant organizations from operating from Afghan soil, while Kabul has consistently rejected those allegations.
The latest strikes represent another significant escalation in Pakistan’s ongoing campaign against militant networks operating along the porous frontier, underscoring Islamabad’s determination to neutralize cross-border terrorist threats through intelligence-led military operations.
