Quick Read
- Pakistan launched airstrikes along the Afghan border on Sunday, February 22, 2026.
- Pakistan claimed to have killed at least 70 militants, later revised to 80, targeting TTP hideouts.
- Afghanistan condemned the strikes, reporting 18 civilian deaths, including women and children, and damage to civilian areas.
- Pakistan justified the strikes as retaliation for recent terror attacks within its borders, blaming Afghanistan-based militants.
- Afghanistan summoned Pakistan’s ambassador and warned of consequences, rejecting Pakistan’s claims.
KABUL (Azat TV) – Pakistan’s military conducted extensive airstrikes along its border with Afghanistan early Sunday, February 22, 2026, claiming to have killed at least 70 militants in retaliation for recent terror attacks within Pakistan. However, Afghanistan swiftly condemned the operations as a violation of its sovereignty, reporting dozens of civilian casualties, including women and children, and rejecting Pakistan’s claims of militant fatalities.
The cross-border strikes have dramatically escalated tensions between the two nations, which share a volatile 1,600-mile mountainous frontier. Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari issued a renewed warning late Sunday, stating that Islamabad’s actions were rooted in its ‘inherent right to defend its people against terrorism’ after repeated warnings to Kabul went unheeded.
Pakistan Claims Retaliation for Border Attacks
Pakistan’s Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry initially claimed in an interview with Geo News that at least 70 militants were killed in the strikes, a figure later revised upwards to 80 by Pakistan’s state-run media. Chaudhry did not offer evidence to support his claims. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar further clarified on X that the military carried out ‘intelligence-based, selective operations’ against seven camps belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as ‘Fitna al Khawarij,’ its affiliates, and an affiliate of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province.
These strikes were described as a ‘retributive response’ to a surge in militant violence within Pakistan. Just hours before the cross-border operations, a suicide bomber killed two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel, in Pakistan’s northwest border district of Bannu. Last week, another suicide bombing in Bajaur district killed 11 soldiers and a child, with Pakistani authorities identifying the attacker as an Afghan national. Tarar asserted that Pakistan possessed ‘conclusive evidence’ that these and other recent attacks, including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed 31 worshippers earlier this month, were orchestrated by militants operating under the direction of their Afghanistan-based leadership.
Islamabad has consistently accused the TTP, which is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, of operating from inside Afghanistan, a charge both the TTP and Kabul deny. Pakistan has repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to take verifiable steps to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan, alleging a lack of substantive action.
Afghanistan Condemns Strikes, Reports Civilian Casualties
In stark contrast to Pakistan’s narrative, Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry issued a statement condemning the strikes as a ‘blatant violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity’ and sovereignty. The ministry reported that ‘various civilian areas’ in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika were hit, including a religious madrassa and multiple homes. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X that the attacks ‘killed and wounded dozens, including women and children,’ dismissing Pakistan’s claim of 70 militant deaths as ‘inaccurate.’
Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nangarhar, confirmed 18 fatalities and several wounded. Local tribal elder Habib Ullah, speaking from Nangarhar, told The Associated Press that those killed were not militants but ‘poor people who suffered greatly,’ emphasizing they were neither Taliban nor military personnel. Villagers were seen clearing rubble and preparing for funerals following the airstrikes, according to BBC News reporting.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul to formally protest the strikes. The ministry’s statement underscored that protecting Afghanistan’s territory is the Islamic Emirate’s ‘Sharia responsibility’ and warned Pakistan would be accountable for the consequences of such attacks.
Escalating Tensions and Failed Dialogue Efforts
The recent strikes mark a significant downturn in already strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Earlier this month, President Zardari warned that the Taliban-led government had created conditions ‘similar to or worse than’ those before the September 11, 2001, attacks. He stressed that protecting Pakistani citizens is ‘paramount and non-negotiable’ and that those responsible for attacks inside Pakistan ‘will not remain beyond reach.’
This latest surge in violence follows deadly border clashes in October, which led to a Qatari-mediated ceasefire. However, several rounds of talks held in Istanbul in November failed to produce a formal agreement, leaving relations precariously tense. Security analyst Abdullah Khan in Islamabad observed that the Pakistani strikes suggest that Qatari, Turkish, and even Saudi-led mediations have failed to resolve the deep-seated tensions. Khan warned that ‘these strikes are likely to further escalate the situation,’ indicating a precarious path forward for regional stability.
The conflicting reports and the immediate diplomatic backlash underscore the fragile state of Pakistan-Afghanistan relations, where a lack of trust and verifiable evidence continues to fuel cycles of cross-border violence and mutual accusations, potentially undermining any future peace initiatives.