Pakistan says 26 militants killed in strikes inside Afghanistan after deadly attacks

Pakistan carried out intelligence-based strikes against militant camps in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 26 fighters, Information Minister Atta Tarar said.

The strikes followed a series of deadly attacks by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, including one that killed six Federal Constabulary personnel near Peshawar.

Afghanistan condemned the operation and said it killed 13 civilians.

Why did Pakistan strike inside Afghanistan?

Pakistan launched the strikes in response to a surge in cross-border militant attacks. Tarar said the operation targeted safe havens used by TTP, which Pakistan also refers to as "Fitna Al Khwarij," and was based on credible intelligence.

The military said four targets were destroyed, including a training center, an ammunition cache and command centers.

Which areas were targeted in the strikes?

The strikes hit locations in three Afghan provinces along the border with Pakistan.

According to Pakistani security officials, the targeted sites were in the Shultan district of Kunar province, the Barmal district of Paktika province and the Spera district of Khost province. The military said the sites were used to plan and launch attacks against Pakistan.

The operation came a day after six FC personnel were killed confronting TTP militants in the Hassan Khel area on the outskirts of Peshawar.

The personnel were identified as Naik Amir, Lance Naik Muhammad Yousaf, Lance Naik Muhammad Riaz, Sepoy Ajmeer, Sepoy Ehsan and Sepoy Riaz. Funeral prayers were held with full official honors at the FC Headquarters in Peshawar on Tuesday.

Tarar cited three recent attacks as direct triggers for the military action. These were the June 9 attack on an FC post in Musa Dara, a vehicle-borne suicide attack on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2 and an attack on a police station in Bannu on May 9.

He said commanders Aleem Khan Khushali and Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel were linked to the destroyed sites.

Did the strikes kill civilians, as Afghanistan claims?

Afghanistan's Taliban administration strongly disputed Pakistan's account. Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said Pakistani military aircraft bombed civilian homes in Kunar, Khost and Paktika overnight.

He said 11 children, one woman and one elderly man were killed, while 14 other women and children were injured.

Mujahid called the strikes a "humanitarian crime" and an "act of aggression." Pakistan has not directly addressed the civilian casualty claims.

What did Pakistan say about the broader counterterrorism campaign?

Tarar said the 26 militants killed in the strikes were allegedly backed by India, though he did not provide evidence for the claim.

He said Pakistan remained committed to regional peace but would continue operations under the "Azm-e-Istehkam" framework against what he described as foreign-sponsored terrorism.

The government has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of sheltering TTP fighters who use Afghan soil as a launchpad for attacks inside Pakistan.