‘Will Strike Back At Perfect Time': Taliban Vows Response After Pakistan Airstrikes | EXCLUSIVE

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 03:12 IST

Taliban leadership holds emergency consultations after strikes and warns Islamabad of retaliation after airstrikes targeted areas along the border in eastern Afghanistan.

Afghan Taliban authorities are assessing Pakistan’s airstrikes and have warned of retaliation, sources close to the leadership told CNN-News18, signalling a sharp escalation in tensions along the border.

“We are assessing the Pakistan strikes," a source close to the Afghan Taliban said, adding that authorities are investigating the scale of damage caused by the attacks.

The source accused Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty. “Pakistan has violated Afghan airspace," the source said, stressing that the Taliban “has the right to retaliate."

While no immediate response has been announced, the leadership indicated that retaliation remains on the table. “We will strike back at the perfect time," the source said.

Senior Taliban leaders have convened urgent consultations following the strikes. According to the source, top leadership has summoned important meetings in Kabul and Kandahar to discuss the situation.

“It is too early to say something definitive on the Pakistani strikes, but Kabul will definitely retaliate," the source added, indicating that a formal response could follow internal deliberations.

The Taliban also accused Pakistan of breaching existing understandings. “Pakistan has violated the ceasefire; we are informing all mediators, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye," the source said.

Meanwhile, Pakistani security sources said the cross-border operation targeted militant infrastructure. According to them, precision strikes in Paktika, Paktia, Nangarhar and Khost provinces dismantled terrorist camps.

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

Sources confirmed that at least 13 TTP fighters were killed in the strikes, which were conducted across eastern and southeastern Afghanistan.

Pakistani aircraft struck the Barmal district of Paktika province, where local sources reported multiple explosions, including successive blasts in the Margha area, indicating a coordinated operation.

Missiles were also reportedly fired by an unidentified aircraft at the Banusi Madrasa in Bermal, raising concerns about casualties and damage, though there has been no official confirmation.

Information accessed by CNN-News18 indicated that eight targets were hit, with the scope extending to Khost, Paktia and Nangarhar provinces. Fresh reports also pointed to another strike in the Argun area of Paktika.

Sources said the Pakistan Air Force deployed F-16 and JF-17 Thunder fighter jets in the operation, with the targets believed to be TTP hideouts operating along the border.

Pakistan, in an official response, said recent suicide bombings including attacks in Islamabad, 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).

Islamabad said it had “conclusive evidence" linking the attacks to militants operating from Afghan territory and reiterated that it had repeatedly urged Afghan authorities to prevent such groups from using its soil, while maintaining that it remains committed to peace and stability.

Separately, two Pakistani security personnel were killed in a suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, according to the military’s media wing. Security forces had launched the operation after receiving intelligence about militants in the area, and officials said five fighters described as “khawarij" — a term used by the state for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan — were killed in the exchange.

Authorities said a vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading contingent, preventing what they described as a planned attack on civilians and law enforcement personnel. However, the attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a convoy vehicle, killing two army officials, the military said.

News world ‘Will Strike Back At Perfect Time': Taliban Vows Response After Pakistan Airstrikes | EXCLUSIVE

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