Islamabad, February 22, 2026: Pakistan has carried out strikes on seven “terrorist camps and hideouts” belonging to Pakistani Taliban elements of Fitna al Khwarij and their affiliates, as well as Islamic State – Khorasan Province (ISKP), in the border region along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced early Sunday.
In a post on social media platform X, the ministry said the action followed a series of recent suicide bombing incidents across the country, including attacks on an Imam Bargah in Islamabad, one each in Bajaur and Bannu, and another suicide bombing in Bannu during the holy month of Ramazan.
Fitna al Khwarij is the term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The ministry stated that Pakistan has “conclusive evidence” that the recent terrorist attacks were orchestrated by Khwarij at the behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers. It added that responsibility for the attacks was claimed by Afghanistan-based Pakistani Taliban elements of Fitna al Khwarij, their affiliates, and ISKP.
“Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region; however, the safety and security of our citizens remain our top priority,” the statement said, describing the strikes as a “retributive response” carried out through “intelligence-based selective targeting.”
The ministry further noted that despite repeated requests by Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban regime had failed to take verifiable measures to prevent the use of Afghan soil by terrorist groups to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
“Pakistan expects the Interim Afghan Government to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of its soil by Khwarij and other terrorists against Pakistan,” the statement said, adding that Islamabad also expects the international community to play a constructive role by urging the Taliban regime to honour its commitments under the Doha Agreement, an act deemed vital for regional and global peace and security.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said in a separate post on X that the strikes by the Pakistan Air Force were retribution for the innocent lives lost to terrorism.
He termed the action “an answer to the tears of every mother who has sacrificed her son for the homeland,” warning that while Pakistan desired peace, it would not compromise on its safety, land, or people.
“Whoever looks at us with evil intent, we will destroy them, and no one will be spared,” he said.
Terrorist violence in Pakistan has resurged since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the TTP, but officials say these appeals have gone unheeded.
Tensions escalated again following a February 16 vehicle-borne suicide attack on a joint security forces post in Bajaur district near the Afghan border. According to officials, TTP militants attempted to breach the Malangi check post and rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into its perimeter wall after an exchange of fire.
Eleven Pakistani soldiers were martyred in the attack. A young girl was killed, while seven others — including women and children — were injured when a nearby residential building was damaged by the blast. Investigators identified the suicide bomber as Amad, alias Qari Abdullah or Abu Zar, a member of the Afghan Taliban’s special forces from Balkh province. The TTP claimed responsibility for the assault.
On February 21, a lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were also martyred in a suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reiterated that terrorists were “using Afghan soil” to conduct attacks inside Pakistan, describing the assaults as a violation of the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan.
“Pakistan will not exercise any restraint, and operations will continue against the perpetrators of this heinous and cowardly act for justified retribution against Khwarij, irrespective of their location,” the ISPR said.
Earlier, on February 19, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had warned that Pakistan would not hesitate to conduct strikes inside Afghanistan if cross-border attacks continued, stressing that military options remained on the table.
In November last year, Taliban government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that Pakistan had carried out air strikes in Afghanistan’s Khost, Kunar, and Paktika provinces. Pakistan neither confirmed nor denied those reports at the time.
The reported strikes came the same day a suicide attack on the Federal Constabulary headquarters left three personnel martyred and 12 injured, and nearly a month after deadly border clashes in October 2025 that resulted in the martyrdom of 23 Pakistani soldiers and the killing of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, according to ISPR.
Those clashes reportedly began on the night of October 11–12, 2025, after what the military described as an unprovoked attack along the Pak-Afghan border by Afghan Taliban and India-sponsored Fitna al Khwarij elements.
