Pakistan’s military says it killed at least 70 militants during airstrikes near the country’s border with Afghanistan on February 22, 2026, as part of ongoing operations targeting armed groups operating in the northwest.
In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said fighter jets struck militant hideouts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province following intelligence reports of planned attacks against security forces. Officials indicated that those targeted were members of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, a group responsible for numerous attacks inside Pakistan.
The casualty figures have not been independently verified, and the TTP has not publicly confirmed the losses. Afghan authorities have previously rejected Pakistani claims that militants use Afghan territory as a base for cross-border attacks, and have raised concerns in past incidents about the impact of airstrikes on civilians.
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have remained high amid a resurgence of violence along the frontier. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the TTP of operating from across the border, while the Afghan Taliban government denies providing safe haven to the group. Officials said weapons and ammunition were recovered during the operation and signaled that further action could follow.
