Pakistan destroys terror camps across Afghan border sending a message terrorists cannot hide behind their families

Islamabad, Pakistan: Afghan Taliban and their Indian handlers are projecting a narrative after Pakistan’s strikes on terror camps inside Afghanistan, and this cooked narrative claims that the strikes hit civilians, mosques, madrassahs, and holy literature, and that these attacks were a violation of the sovereignty of Afghanistan and an act of unwarranted aggression.

Dissection of this narrative exposes it layer by layer because Afghan Taliban and TTP terrorists have a long history of using mosques, madrassahs, and living compounds for training, weapon dumping, and indoctrination of youth, particularly using the premises of mosques and madrassahs. Moreover, they have a long history of using their families and neighborhoods as human shields, and there is nothing new in the claim that their terror camps could have women and children because terrorists always keep them with themselves, using them for propaganda purposes.

When asked to comment, a security official, on the condition of anonymity, said that Afghan Taliban are scapegoating Afghans for their ulterior motives, and terrorists are using their families as fodder because terrorists are inhuman; for them, nobody is more important than their nefarious cause of killing people in the name of religion.

He was of the view that precision strikes accurately took out targets, and those killed in the strikes were not civilians but “terrorists disguised/dressed as civilians.” Khawarij (TTP terrorists) always use civilians and their own families as human shields, but this heinous act will not protect them from being targeted. He added that security forces took utmost measures to avoid collateral damage through the best intelligence and appropriate selection of weapons/platforms.

Commenting on a question, he stated that what Kharijis (terrorists) refer to as mosques are their marakiz / shelter camps, and what they refer to as madrassahs are training camps. These terrorists are responsible for the desecration of holy concepts, but religious and sentimental exploitation will not deter Pakistan and will not afford any protection to the “dogs of hell.”

It is a universally accepted truth that numerous terror groups, especially TTP/FAK, are present in Afghanistan. There is also undeniable evidence that these groups are involved in terrorism in Pakistan. Recent terror attacks in Islamabad and KPK are only the freshest testimonies. It is TTP/FAK that undermines the security and stability of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. FAK-led terrorism is a regional-cum-global threat and must be confronted jointly by all peace-loving countries/regimes. Nevertheless, any active support to such heinous terrorists will also justify their engagement as legitimate targets (on the plea of abetment of terrorism).

It may be mentioned that Pakistan is mounting a comprehensive response, irrespective of domains and geography. This is not the externalization of security issues, but a manifestation of Pakistan’s resolve that enemies of Pakistan will not find peace anywhere, let alone their “safe havens.” Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of Pakistan conducted 75,000 IBOs inside Pakistan in 2025 and continue to conduct an average of 200 IBOs every day during 2026.

Another security official in Islamabad informed DND News Agency that Pakistan has only engaged “Pakistani terrorists at large in Afghanistan” and their terrorist cohorts. The targets engaged were those which are undeniably and directly involved in recent and potentially imminent terrorist activities against Pakistanis. While seven terror targets have been engaged at three locations (i.e., Paktika, Nangarhar, and Khost).

When asked, a Foreign Office official commented that Pakistan had exhausted all peaceful routes, including negotiations in Qatar and Türkiye. Any attack on Pakistan by anybody, on any pretext or in any garb, will be construed as direct abetment of terrorism, and it shall warrant comprehensive defensive measures from Pakistan.