Web Desk: Pakistan carried out intelligence-based strikes overnight in eastern Afghanistan, targeting seven suspected terrorist centers linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, security sources said on Sunday.
The strikes hit locations in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces. Officials said more than 80 terrorists were killed, while additional casualties were being assessed.
Pakistan has not issued an official public statement detailing the operation. However, security sources described the action as a targeted strike against what they called “Fitna al-Khawarij,” a term authorities use for the Pakistani Taliban.
According to security officials, the operation destroyed seven facilities allegedly used by TTP fighters. The sites included two newly established centers in Nangarhar province, as well as locations identified as the Maulvi Abbas center in Khost and facilities named after Islam, Ibrahim, Mullah Rahbar and Mukhlis Yar in Nangarhar and Paktika.
The strikes mark one of the most extensive cross-border aerial operations in recent months, underscoring growing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul over militant sanctuaries along the porous frontier.
Moreover, officials said the operation was conducted following actionable intelligence regarding the presence of senior commanders and fighters at the targeted compounds.
Security sources also released the names of 77 alleged militants killed in the strikes. Those identified include Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Yousaf, Abdullah, Samiullah, Noor Ahmad, Hameedullah and Jamil Ahmad, among others.
The list includes individuals from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, as well as from areas in Afghanistan such as Ghazni and Panjshir, according to the information provided.
Independent verification of the identities and death toll was not immediately possible
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the TTP of using Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks inside Pakistan. The Afghan Taliban administration in Kabul has previously denied allowing its soil to be used against other countries.
The latest strikes are likely to strain already fragile relations between the two neighbors. In recent months, Islamabad has stepped up security operations amid a surge in militant attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
It remains unclear whether Kabul will formally respond to the reported airstrikes.
Read more: Pakistan executes security driven action inside Afghanistan
