Pakistan Conducts Airstrikes Across Afghan Border, 28 TTP Militants Dead

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 03:35 IST

Eight targets were hit across multiple provinces in an operation involving Pakistan Air Force fighter jets.

Pakistan has carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan in the wee hours of Sunday morning, targeting multiple locations along the Durand Line, with Pakistani fighter jets hitting suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts, CNN-News18 has learned.

Sources confirmed that at least 28 TTP fighters were killed in the strikes, which were carried out across eastern and southeastern Afghanistan.

Pakistani aircraft struck the Barmal district of Paktika province, where local sources reported multiple explosions. Several blasts were heard in quick succession in the Margha area, indicating a coordinated operation.

Reports also said missiles were fired by an unidentified aircraft at the Banusi Madrasa in Bermal, raising concerns about casualties and material damage, though there has been no official confirmation so far.

According to information accessed by CNN-News18, a total of eight targets were hit in the operation. The scope of the strikes extended beyond Paktika to other provinces along the border, including Khost, Paktia and Nangarhar. Fresh reports also indicated another strike in the Argun area of Paktika.

Sources said the Pakistan Air Force deployed F-16 fighter jets and JF-17 Thunder aircraft during the operation. The targets were believed to be TTP hideouts operating along the Durand Line.

Pakistan said recent suicide bombings, including incidents at an Imam Bargah in Islamabad and attacks in Bajaur and Bannu, were carried out by groups it described as “Fitna al Khwarij" and their affiliates, as well as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).

In an official response, Islamabad said it has “conclusive evidence" that the attacks were orchestrated by militants acting on the directions of leadership based in Afghanistan.

Two Pakistani security personnel were killed in a suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation in the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to the military’s media wing.

Security forces had launched the operation after receiving intelligence about the presence of militants, including a suspected suicide bomber. During the exchange, five militants described by authorities as “khawarij" — a term used by the state for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — were killed.

Officials said a vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading contingent, preventing what authorities described as a planned attack on civilians and law enforcement personnel in Bannu city.

However, the attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into one of the convoy’s vehicles, killing two high-ranking army officials, the military said.

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