SECURITY — March 26, 2026
One Month of Pakistani Airstrikes on Afghanistan Sees Halt in TTP Attacks in Pakistan
One month after Pakistan began airstrikes across Afghanistan, killing hundreds including over 400 in one attack on a Kabul drug treatment center and displacing more than 100,000 people, the TTP has halted major attacks inside Pakistan. Ahmad Massoud and other critics attribute the situation to the Taliban's harboring of the TTP and other militant groups.
The Ehtebar Desk — originates with Afghanistan International — 2 min read
Pakistan began military airstrikes on Afghanistan one month ago, triggering what its defense minister described as an "open war." Since then, no deadly suicide attacks or major operations by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have occurred in Pakistani cities.
The last major attack inside Pakistan took place on 24 February 2026 at the Dajal checkpoint on the border between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. A suicide bomber killed two police officers and wounded four others. Ansar al-Islam, linked to the Gul Bahadur branch of the TTP, claimed responsibility.
Following that incident, Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif announced that an open war had begun. The Pakistani Air Force then conducted extensive strikes under Operation Ghazab lillah across multiple Afghan provinces, including Kabul, Kandahar, Panjshir, Parwan, Kapisa, Nangarhar, Laghman, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Nuristan, Herat and Balkh.
The Taliban reported that a strike on a drug addiction treatment center in eastern Kabul killed at least 408 people and wounded 250. The United Nations has stated that more than 100,000 people have been displaced in the past month. Small-scale Taliban drone attacks in Pakistan have caused no significant casualties, while clashes continue along the Durand Line.
Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, said the Taliban's policy of sheltering the TTP and more than 20 other terrorist groups had directly caused the foreign airstrikes. He compared the situation to the Taliban's earlier harboring of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, which led to American attacks, but stressed that hatred of the Taliban should not equate to support for bombing.
A military expert in Kabul said the Taliban had prompted Pakistan to shift the conflict from Islamabad to Kabul. The Diplomat magazine noted a noticeable decrease in TTP attacks inside Pakistan since the operation began. This period of relative calm in Pakistan follows four years of severe insecurity, with the country recently topping the Global Terrorism Index compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The index linked the rise in terrorism to the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
Read the original reporting at Afghanistan International →
Reliability assessment
Single source with strong attribution providing concrete details including specific dates, named officials (Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Ahmad Massoud), named locations across Afghan provinces, casualty figures, UN displacement numbers, and references to The Diplomat and Institute for Economics and Peace reports. Core events of Pakistani airstrikes and reduction in TTP activity are reported with checkable specifics; differing casualty details would not affect reliability per guidelines but none are present here.
The source language mixes facts with framing or advocacy wording. Afghanistan International: "spilling of innocent Afghan blood is the result of the Taliban's mistaken policies", "caused foreign fighter jets to bomb Afghanistan", "direct result of the Taliban's performance" - these phrases introduce opinionated blame and emotional framing that portray the Taliban as directly responsible for civilian deaths and foreign attacks.
Independent web corroboration
A separate web search returned 8 matching reports. A selection:
The airstrikes by Pakistan that killed at least 400 people at a drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul marked a tragic escalation in what Islamabad has termed an “open war” against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
- Experts Explain | How Pakistan’s strategic assets became its greatest threat | Explained News - The Indian Expressindianexpress.com
Also in Explained | Pakistan strike kills 400 in Kabul: Why Taliban regime rejects Islamabad’s urging to act against TTP
In a dangerous escalation from cross-border skirmishes, Pakistan launched air strikes at the end of February, targeting major cities including Kabul. Afghanistan’s Taliban regime responded with drone attacks.
A fragile ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan that was in place since November was soon converted by Islamabad into an "open war" as it conducted airstrikes in Kabul.
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Security — Pakistan, Taliban, TTP, Airstrikes, Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict
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