The Pakistani military carried out airstrikes in the Afghan border areas early Sunday. According to Al-Jazeera, the Pakistani military claimed that seven camps and hideouts linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State were targeted. The Pakistani government described the attack as a retaliatory strike following recent suicide attacks. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a statement stating that it was an intelligence-based operation. Pakistan stated, “We have strong evidence that the attacks were carried out by a network operating from Afghan soil.” According to Afghan media Tolo News, the attack targeted a house in Nangarhar, burying 23 members of a single family under the rubble. Only four people have been rescued so far. The family was sleeping at the time of the attack, so they had no chance to escape. According to the American human rights organization, the International Human Rights Foundation (IHRF), 16 people were killed, including women and children. However, official figures have not yet been released. Photos of the attack… Afghanistan said – will give a strong response at the right time. The Afghan Defense Ministry has warned Pakistan of a strong response at the right time. The ministry described these attacks as a violation of Afghanistan’s secrecy policy. According to Afghan sources, a drone strike struck a religious school in Paktika and operations were also carried out in Nangarhar province. Pakistan has stated that they attacked terrorist hideouts, but according to Afghan sources, civilians were harmed. Pakistan has long demanded that the Taliban government not allow any terrorist organization to use its territory. Islamabad alleges that the TTP operates from Afghanistan, while the Taliban denies these allegations. Pakistan demands – International community should pressure the Taliban. Pakistan has appealed to the international community to pressure the Taliban, under the 2020 agreement signed with the US in Doha, to ensure that Afghan soil is not used against other countries. The 2020 Doha Agreement, also known as the Afghan Peace Initiative, was signed between the US and the Taliban on February 29, 2020, in Doha, the capital of Qatar. This agreement was reached to end the 2001 war in Afghanistan and pave the way for the withdrawal of US forces. The Taliban committed to not allowing Afghan soil to be used by any group or individual that threatened the security of the US and its allies. This specifically included a promise to sever ties with al-Qaeda and other international terrorist organizations and not allow them to recruit, train, fund, or carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Following the agreement, the US withdrew its troops in 2021, after which the Taliban swiftly captured Kabul. The blast occurred during Friday prayers at a Pakistani Shia mosque. Hours before the airstrike, a suicide attack on a security convoy in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa killed two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. On February 16, a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into a security checkpoint in Bajaur, Pakistan, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Officials described the attacker as an Afghan national. Earlier, on February 6th, a suicide attack occurred at a Shia mosque (Imambara) in Islamabad during Friday prayers. According to the Pakistani newspaper The Dawn, the attack killed 31 people and injured 169. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Tensions escalated after violent clashes in October. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained tense since the border clashes in October, which resulted in the deaths of soldiers and civilians on both sides. A ceasefire was brokered by Qatar on October 19th, but talks in Istanbul, Turkey, failed to reach a formal agreement. On October 9th, airstrikes targeted Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) positions in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The Taliban claimed that Pakistan carried out these attacks. Although Pakistan did not explicitly state that it carried out the attacks, it warned the Taliban not to provide shelter to the TTP on its soil. TTP has become the biggest threat to Pakistan. Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the TTP has waged a guerrilla war against Pakistani security forces. The TTP is considered the biggest terrorist threat to Pakistan in the last twelve years. Pakistan alleges that TTP fighters return to Pakistan after receiving training across the border in Afghanistan and carry out attacks. However, the Taliban claims it does not support the TTP. According to the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, terrorist attacks in the country have increased to the highest level since 2015, and the TTP is the main culprit. These attacks have pushed Pakistan to second place in the list of countries affected by terrorism, according to the Global Terrorism Index. The TTP was formed in response to the US attack. Why is there a conflict between Pakistan and the TTP? Pakistan ranks second in the Global Terrorism Index. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, Pakistan has become the second most terror-affected country in the world after Burkina Faso, up from fourth place in 2024. According to the report, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are the most terror-affected areas of Pakistan. 90% of all terrorist incidents across the country occurred in this region. The report ranked Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan as Pakistan’s most dangerous terrorist organization for the second consecutive year. In 2024, the group carried out 482 attacks, resulting in 558 deaths, a 91% increase compared to 2023. Tensions have existed between the two countries in the past. Afghanistan and Pakistan have a long-standing dispute over the Durand Line. Both countries accuse each other of attacks and harboring terrorists. Tensions have escalated since the Taliban took control of the Afghan government in 2021. ———————– Read this news too… BLA claims 17 Pakistani soldiers detained: 10 released, 7 still in captivity; The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Sunday claimed it had captured 17 Pakistani soldiers. Ten of them were released, while the remaining seven were imprisoned. Read the full story…
