ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s security forces killed more than 35 members of Fitna al-Khawarij in separate intelligence-based operations in Mohmand and North Waziristan, while the armed forces carried out fresh precision strikes inside Afghanistan in response to unprovoked aggression from the Afghan Taliban, security sources said on Wednesday.

The eliminated terrorists — linked to banned outfits such as the TTP and Daesh — were neutralised in counter-terrorism actions across the border districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

At the same time, Pakistan utilised both land and aerial assets to launch precision strikes in Kabul and Kandahar, targeting Taliban camps and affiliated terrorist networks. The strikes came after Afghan Taliban fighters and the groups they shelter attacked Pakistani posts in Kurram late Tuesday night.

Security officials said Taliban forces then opened fire along other sections of the western border in Balochistan, prompting further retaliatory strikes that destroyed multiple camps and hideouts. Dozens of Taliban fighters and associates were reported killed.

Targets in Kabul and Kandahar
According to security sources, the strikes in Kabul destroyed a centre of Fitna al-Hindustan — a group allegedly backed by India — along with its leadership hideout. In Kandahar, Pakistan’s forces dismantled the Taliban’s Battalion 4 and Battalion 8 headquarters, as well as the Border Brigade 5 command centre.

Officials reiterated that the armed forces remain fully capable of responding to any aggression, stressing that terrorist safe havens inside Afghanistan will not be tolerated.

Meanwhile, political activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw Sohail Afridi sworn in as the new chief minister on Tuesday, a close ally of PTI founder Imran Khan, who has opposed full-scale operations against militants despite the Taliban’s hostile actions against Pakistan.