Islamabad , 22 February (H.S.): Overnight on Saturday, February 21 into Sunday, Pakistan's Air Force conducted precision airstrikes targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, prompting fierce Taliban accusations of civilian massacres.

Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, via Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on X, confirmed the intelligence-based selective targeting of facilities linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—derisively termed Pakistani Taliban or Fitna al Khwarij—its affiliates, and Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

The strikes responded to a spate of suicide bombings since Ramadan's start, including a deadly mosque attack in Islamabad killing 31 and injuring over 160—Islamabad's worst since the 2008 Marriott bombing—as well as assaults in Bajaur and Bannu, traced to Afghan-based handlers.

Afghan spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid countered on X that the strikes hit residential areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children.

Afghan sources described drone hits on a religious site in Paktika, escalating claims of disproportionate force.

The Pakistani Army emphasized repeated unheeded calls for the Taliban regime to deny safe haven to terrorists on Afghan soil, invoking Doha Agreement commitments. Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability... but the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority, the statement read, underscoring the operation's retributive precision. Islamabad urged the international community to press Kabul for action against cross-border threats.

Relations have plummeted since the Taliban's 2021 Kabul takeover, marked by deadly clashes and Pakistan's repatriation of Afghan refugees. Pakistan accuses Kabul of proxy warfare via TTP; the Taliban denies harboring militants.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar