ISLAMABAD (MNN); Pakistan carried out what the government described as “calibrated” airstrikes against terrorist camps and hideouts in the border region with Afghanistan, killing 28 terrorists, including multiple suicide bombers, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on Monday.
The ministry said the strikes were conducted on the basis of credible intelligence and targeted hideouts belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij and affiliated groups that Islamabad holds responsible for recent terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to the official statement, three targets were destroyed, including a training centre for suicide bombers. Large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the targeted sites were also destroyed.
The airstrikes followed a “well-planned intelligence-based” ground operation in Kohat and Hangu districts. The ministry said nine terrorists were killed and several others wounded during the ground engagement, bringing the total number of terrorists reported killed in the combined operations to 37.
The government uses the term Fitna al-Khawarij for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Information Ministry said Pakistan had consistently sought peace and stability in the region, but described the security of its citizens as the government’s foremost priority.
The ministry further alleged that terrorist threats to Pakistan were emanating from Afghan territory and said the strikes had been directed specifically at terrorist infrastructure. It maintained that maximum precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties and other collateral damage.
The latest strikes follow a deadly attack in Kohat, where 23 people were killed and around 100 injured in an attack on the old Police Lines area. Security forces subsequently conducted an overnight clearance operation in which eight terrorists were reported killed.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar visited Kohat on Monday and met the families of police personnel killed in the attack, as well as injured personnel at Combined Military Hospital. He said the government would continue its efforts until terrorism was eliminated from the country.
Pakistan’s Position on Afghan-Based Militancy
Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban administration to take concrete and verifiable action against the TTP and other militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
The government has maintained that meaningful progress in Pakistan-Afghanistan relations depends on Kabul taking action against militant sanctuaries. Islamabad has also said that diplomatic engagement by third countries cannot replace direct action against terrorist infrastructure.
The latest Pakistani strikes add to a series of cross-border military actions this year. In late June, Pakistan said its forces killed 25 terrorists in strikes in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. Earlier that month, Pakistan reported killing 26 terrorists in similar strikes along the Afghan border.
The Pakistani government has described its continuing counterterrorism campaign as Ghazab lil Haq, being conducted under the broader vision of Azm-i-Istehkam. The Information Ministry said the campaign would continue against what it describes as foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism.
The latest developments have also heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has previously called for dialogue while warning of retaliation against military action inside Afghanistan, a position rejected by Pakistan’s Information Ministry.
