Why it matters:
These are the most extensive Pakistani strikes since border clashes in October 2025 killed over 70 people. The attack highlights the complete breakdown of relations between the two neighbors and the failure of multiple rounds of international mediation. With Kabul vowing retaliation and Islamabad defending its actions, the risk of a wider, more destructive cycle of violence is high.
What they're saying:
Pakistan's military conducted "intelligence-based, selective operations" overnight on February 22, 2026, targeting seven sites in the Afghan border provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika.
A statement from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the strikes targeted the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its associates, as well as an affiliate of the Islamic State group (ISIS-K). The operation was described as a direct response to a spate of recent attacks in Pakistan, including a deadly suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad two weeks ago, which killed at least 40 people. Islamabad reiterated that it had repeatedly urged Afghanistan's Taliban government to act against militants using Afghan soil, but that Kabul had failed to take "any substantive action."
Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence strongly condemned the strikes, providing a starkly different account of the targets.
Officials stated that "dozens of innocent civilians, including women and children, were martyred and wounded" when strikes hit a madrasa (religious school) and residential homes in Nangarhar and Paktika. This aligns with the initial report from Afghan sources cited by Al Jazeera, which placed the death toll in Nangarhar at 17.
Crucially, the Afghan Defence Ministry has vowed to "deliver an appropriate and calculated response" to what it considers a violation of its sovereignty.
According to the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, Pakistani military action killed 70 Afghan civilians between October and December 2025.
The big picture:
The TTP, a separate entity but ideological ally of the Afghan Taliban, has found sanctuary in Afghanistan since the Taliban's takeover in 2021. This has become the primary irritant in Pakistan-Afghan relations. While Islamabad demands action against groups attacking it from across the border, the Afghan Taliban government has been either unwilling or unable to confront the TTP fully.
Several rounds of negotiations, including an initial ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey, have failed to produce a lasting agreement. Even recent mediation by Saudi Arabia, which secured the release of three Pakistani soldiers in early February, has not eased the underlying tensions.
What's next:
The coming days will be critical. The international community, including key players like Qatar, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia who have previously mediated, will likely pressure both sides to de-escalate. However, with public opinion inflamed on both sides of the border and Kabul's credibility now on the line, the path toward a negotiated settlement has become significantly more difficult. The land border, largely shut for months, is expected to remain a flashpoint.
Go deeper:
Pakistan calls for political settlement of Afghan conflict
Hossein Amiri - Mahboubeh Habibi
