WATCH: Pakistani forces pound Afghan Taliban Check post after unprovoked firing

2026-02-24 - 17:23

ISLAMABAD – Gunfire ripped through the stillness of Afghan border as tensions between Islamabad and Kabul flared once again. What officials described as unprovoked firing from the Afghan side was met with a swift and forceful response from the Pakistan Army, including a precision ATGM strike that destroyed Taliban post. آج افغان دہشت گرد رجیم نے لنڈی کوتل سیکٹر میں پاکستان کی پوسٹوں پر بلا اشتعال فائرنگ شروع کی۔ پاک فوج نے بھرپور جوابی کاروائی کرتے ہوئے ATGM فائر سے افغانیوں کی ایک پوسٹ اڑا دی۔ پاک فوج کے جواب میں افغان سائیڈ پر فائر رک گیا۔ افغان سائیڈ پر کم ازکم پانچ جانوں کی نقصان کی اطلاع... pic.twitter.com/WaYChmJPq2 — Deedban News (@HaqNews2023) February 24, 2026 پاکستان کے دلیر فوجی افغان حملہ آوروں پر اے ٹی جی ایم فائر کرتے ہوئے۔ pic.twitter.com/eutzevCa1Y — Malik Ishaq (@MalikIshaq55646) February 24, 2026 The volatile Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier exploded into violence once again as Afghan Taliban forces allegedly launched unprovoked firing along the Torkham and Tirah sectors, triggering a fierce and immediate retaliation by the Pakistan Army. Security officials said gunfire erupted from the Afghan side targeting Pakistani border posts in the Landi Kotal sector. Within moments, Pakistani forces responded with precision and force, firing an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) that directly struck a Taliban position. The powerful hit reportedly left at least five casualties on the Afghan side and brought the exchange of fire to a sudden halt. Officials warned that Pakistan is on full alert and prepared to respond “immediately and severely” to any further aggression, vowing that the country’s territorial integrity will be defended at all costs. The latest clash comes on the heels of one of the most extensive cross-border military actions in recent years. Over the weekend, Pakistan carried out sweeping air strikes in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, targeting what it described as terrorist camps and hideouts. An official claimed that “more than 80” militants were eliminated in the precision strikes — marking the most significant escalation between the two neighbors since deadly border clashes in October last year. In a strongly worded statement issued early Sunday, Pakistan’s information ministry said the strikes were conducted in direct response to a wave of terrorist attacks inside the country. These included a suicide bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad and multiple assaults in Bannu and Bajaur. The government asserted it possesses “conclusive evidence” that the attacks were orchestrated by militants operating from Afghan soil at the direction of their leadership. According to officials, the operation involved intelligence-based strikes on seven militant camps allegedly linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), aka Fitna al Khwarij, along with fighters associated with Islamic State-Khorasan near the border belt. Islamabad accused the Afghan Taliban administration of failing to take meaningful action despite repeated warnings to prevent Afghan territory from being used for launching attacks against Pakistan. Tensions had already been boiling after a devastating February 16 suicide bombing in Bajaur district near the Afghan border. Militants rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the Malangi check post after an exchange of gunfire. Eleven Pakistani soldiers were martyred in the blast. A young girl also lost her life, and seven others —were injured when a nearby residential building was damaged. The TTP claimed responsibility for the attack. Just days later, on February 21, a lieutenant colonel and a sepoy were killed in another suicide attack during an intelligence-based operation in Bannu district, further intensifying outrage within Pakistan’s security establishment. Pakistan’s military has declared it will show “no restraint” in pursuing those responsible, regardless of their location. Defence officials have openly warned that cross-border strikes will continue if attacks from Afghan territory persist. Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have sharply deteriorated since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021, with Pakistan repeatedly demanding action against militant sanctuaries allegedly operating across the border. With both sides trading accusations and firepower, the already fragile border region now stands on the brink of a deeper and potentially wider confrontation.