ISLAMABAD – Pakistan reportedly carried out intelligence-based airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces in fresh phase of Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq after martyrdom of six paramilitary soldiers in a recent terrorist attack.
While Pakistani sources said militant hideouts were targeted, Afghan authorities claimed civilian casualties, adding to growing tensions between the two neighbors.
Amid recent tensions, Pakistani forces carried out intelligence-based targeting suspected militant hideouts in Khost, Paktika and Kunar provinces after a deadly attack on a Frontier Constabulary (FC) post in Peshawar that left six Pakistani soldiers martyred.
Security sources described the operation as part of the ongoing Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq to dismantle terrorist infrastructure allegedly being used to plan and support attacks against Pakistan. According to officials familiar with the operation, multiple locations linked to armed groups were targeted during the overnight strikes.
“The strikes are a continuation of Operation Ghazab-ul-Haq against terrorist sanctuaries operating inside Afghanistan,” a Pakistani source with knowledge of the developments said.
The operation came in direct response to the recent assault by militants who had cross-border support and safe havens. Afghan officials and local media, however, presented a sharply different account.
Reports from Kunar province said several residential buildings were hit during the strikes, resulting in civilian casualties, including children. Eyewitness accounts described homes reduced to rubble and families trapped beneath the debris.
Afghan Taliban administration accused Pakistan of striking civilian areas rather than militant targets, while Pakistani security sources rejected the allegation and maintained that the operation was directed exclusively at terrorist infrastructure.
The latest strikes are major escalation in already strained relationship between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan repeatedly expressed concern over militant groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory, while Afghan authorities have criticized cross-border military actions as violations of sovereignty.
Despite controversy, Pakistani officials insist that the country remains committed to regional peace and stability. They argue, however, that protecting Pakistan’s citizens and security forces is the government’s foremost responsibility and that action against cross-border terrorist threats will continue.
TTP attack on Peshawar checkpost leaves six Pakistani Paramilitary troops martyred
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