12 Children Among All 23 Members Of Afghan Family Killed In Pakistan Strike, Taliban Blames 'Poor Intel'

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 21:43 IST

While Pakistan said the mission was a "precision targeting" operation aimed at TTP and ISIS-K hideouts, the Afghan Taliban officials condemned the act as "indiscriminate"

The Taliban condemned lack of intelligence on part of Pakistan and alleged the midnight strikes by the neighbouring country wiped out an Afghan family of 23, including 12 children.

The airstrike by Pakistan sent shockwaves through the region, even as the Afghan Taliban said it has led to the loss of civilians in the Behsud region of Nangarhar province.

According to top Taliban sources, the strike killed a family of 23, including 12 children aged between one and 17. The incident took place in the dead of night, reducing a residential accommodation to rubble while local residents later held a mass funeral for the 23 victims pulled from the debris.

While Islamabad has categorised the mission as a “precision targeting" operation aimed at Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-K hideouts, the Afghan Taliban officials condemned the act as “indiscriminate".

The Taliban sources told News18 that evidence from the ground suggests a failure in intelligence gathering by Pakistani forces. The location targeted in Behsud is a settled residential area situated far from the established insurgent camps typically found in remote border zones like Bermal. An assessment showed that while Pakistan may have relied on drone surveillance or human intelligence, the strike on a civilian home implies critical errors in target identification, the sources added.

The sources said this tragedy follows a pattern in Nangarhar where unilateral airstrikes have been found to disproportionately affect families, leading to mass displacement and a surge in anti-Pakistan sentiment. Islamabad’s military is reportedly under immense pressure from internal security threats following a series of suicide bombings claimed by the TTP.

Pakistani officials, the sources said, have hinted that Afghanistan’s refusal to cooperate on the extradition of TTP leaders has forced them into these unilateral, cross-border actions. The resulting fallout has significantly intensified geopolitical tensions along the volatile Durand Line.

Afghanistan has responded with uncharacteristically blunt rhetoric, promising retaliation for the loss of innocent lives. Experts warned that this could lead to direct cross-border skirmishes or increased proxy support for militant groups, further destabilising the region and potentially drawing in regional powers such as India or Iran, the sources said.

The experts further said both Pakistan and Afghanistan appear to be using the airstrikes to bolster their own political narratives. Islamabad is using the operation to justify its hard-line military stance amid domestic security pressures, while the Taliban leadership is leveraging the civilian deaths to consolidate domestic support and frame Pakistan as an aggressor.

News world 12 Children Among All 23 Members Of Afghan Family Killed In Pakistan Strike, Taliban Blames 'Poor Intel'

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