By The South Asia Times

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan said Thursday that its forces carried out targeted aerial strikes against militant hideouts in Afghanistan, killing 22 alleged militants and destroying weapons and ammunition caches, as tensions between the two neighboring countries continue to escalate.

The Pakistani Information Ministry said the strikes were conducted under Operation Ghazab lil Haq, part of the country’s broader counterterrorism campaign being carried out under the government’s Azm-e-Istehkam framework.

According to the ministry, the strikes targeted two locations in Afghanistan based on what it described as credible intelligence about camps and safe havens belonging to groups Pakistan calls “Fitna al Khwarij” and “Fitna al Hindustan,” as well as their affiliates.

Pakistan said the operation was “well-planned and calibrated” and that precautions were taken to prevent civilian casualties.

“Initial reports suggest killing of twenty-two terrorists,” the ministry said, adding that large quantities of weapons and ammunition stored at the sites were also destroyed.

Pakistan did not identify the locations of the strikes in its statement.

- Pakistan says threat originates from Afghanistan

Islamabad has increasingly accused Afghanistan's Taliban authorities of allowing Pakistani militant groups, particularly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), to maintain bases and operate from Afghan territory.

Pakistan uses the term Fitna al Khwarij for the TTP and associated terrorists. The TTP is a separate organization from Afghanistan's Taliban, although the two have longstanding ideological and historical links. 

Pakistan's Information Ministry said Thursday that Afghanistan had continued to serve as a “hub of terrorism” and that the threat to Pakistan was emanating from Afghan territory.

“Pakistan has always strived for the maintenance of peace and stability in the region. However, the safety and security of our citizens remains our foremost priority,” the ministry said.

The statement said the strikes were directed specifically at “terrorist hubs” and that maximum precautions were taken to avoid collateral damage.

- Escalating Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict

The strikes come amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2026.

Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Taliban regime of failing to prevent TTP militants from using Afghan territory to launch attacks inside Pakistan. 

The two countries have experienced repeated clashes and airstrikes along their roughly 2,600-kilometer border during the past year.

In February, Pakistan carried out major strikes against what it described as militant targets inside Afghanistan. The confrontation subsequently expanded into direct fighting between Pakistani and Taliban fighters.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said at the time that its military actions were conducted in self-defense against attacks originating from Afghan territory.

The latest escalation also follows renewed Pakistani strikes on Afghan territory in September. Pakistan said those operations targeted militant infrastructure, while Afghan Taliban regime disputed Islamabad's account and reported civilian casualties. However, independent sources also confirmed that Islamabad hit TTP terrorists' hideouts.

Islamabad said its counterterrorism campaign would continue.

“The relentless Counter Terrorism campaign Ghazab lil Haq under vision ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ by Security Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace,” the Information Ministry said.

Pakistan said the objective was to eliminate what it described as foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism and the networks operating against the country.