Pakistan carries out airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan

Pakistan carried out airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday night, targeting what it described as militant camps near the border, as local sources reported strikes in several districts of Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.

In a statement dated Feb. 21, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the strikes were a “retributive response” to a string of recent suicide bombings inside Pakistan, including attacks at an Imam Bargah in Islamabad and in the northwestern districts of Bajaur and Bannu. Another bombing took place on Friday in Bannu during the holy month of Ramadan.

The ministry said Pakistan had “conclusive evidence” that the attacks were carried out by militants acting on instructions from the Taliban. It said responsibility had been claimed by fighters belonging to the Pakistani Taliban — which it referred to as Fitna al Khwarij — and their affiliates, as well as by the IS-KP.

Pakistan said it had conducted “intelligence-based selective targeting” of seven camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban and ISKP along the border region with “precision and accuracy.”

Local sources in eastern Afghanistan said Pakistani aircraft struck areas in Nangarhar province, including the districts of Khogyani, Ghani Khil and Behsud. Minutes earlier, sources reported a strike on a religious seminary in the Barmal district of Paktika province.

The details of casualties and damage were not immediately clear. Taliban officials had not publicly responded to the strikes as of Saturday night.

Islamabad accused the Taliban of failing to take effective action to prevent Afghanistan’s territory from being used by militant groups targeting Pakistan, despite repeated requests. It urged the Taliban to fulfill their obligations under the 2020 Doha agreement to deny safe haven to armed groups.

The airstrikes mark a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides. Relations deteriorated late last year after a series of deadly border skirmishes between Pakistani forces and Taliban, which led to prolonged closures of key trade and transit crossings and heightened diplomatic strain.

Pakistan has long accused the Pakistani Taliban of operating from sanctuaries inside Afghanistan, a charge the Taliban have repeatedly denied, saying they do not allow any group to use Afghanistan’s soil to threaten other countries.