Pakistan carried out drone strikes in multiple areas of neighboring Afghanistan early Sunday, targeting what it described as militant hideouts linked to cross-border attacks.
According to Afghan sources who spoke to Al Jazeera, the strikes hit at least two provinces—Paktika Province and Nangarhar Province. One of the drone attacks reportedly struck a madrasa in Paktika. There was no immediate comment from the Taliban-led government in Kabul regarding the incident.
In a statement posted on X, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the country’s armed forces conducted intelligence-based operations against seven hideouts and training camps belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliated groups. The statement also claimed that a camp linked to an Islamic State-associated outfit was targeted.
Islamabad alleged it has credible intelligence indicating that recent attacks inside Pakistan—including an assault on a mosque in the capital—were orchestrated by Afghanistan-based militant leaders and their collaborators.
The strikes came hours after a suicide bombing in the Bannu division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province killed a lieutenant colonel and another soldier. Earlier, a suicide attacker assisted by gunmen detonated explosives near a security checkpoint in Bajaur, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Pakistani authorities claimed the attacker was an Afghan national.
On February 6, at least 31 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad, further escalating tensions between the two countries.
The latest cross-border operation underscores rising friction between Islamabad and Kabul over security concerns and the presence of militant groups along their shared frontier.
