Pakistan Air Force Airstrikes in Afghanistan Eliminate 5 Top Indian-Backed Terrorist Commanders Along with Several Militants

ISLAMABAD / RAWALPINDI - In a series of precise and calibrated intelligence-based strikes, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has eliminated five top Indian-sponsored terrorist commanders linked to the Afghan Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur (HGB) network, along with several of their associates .

🚨🇵🇰 BREAKING

Pakistan Air Force airstrikes in Afghanistan have eliminated 5 top Indian-sponsored terrorist commanders linked to Afghan Taliban TTP, ISKP, and HGB, along with several militants.

They were responsible for killings of innocent civilians in Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/zAqySgTT8d

- Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) June 10, 2026

According to official sources and statements from Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, the strikes specifically targeted training centers, hideouts, and ammunition caches being used by the so-called "Fitna Al Khwarij" - a designation used by Pakistani authorities for militant groups operating against the state .

Strikes Carried Out with Precision

Federal Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed in a post on X that the airstrikes were launched along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas based on "credible intelligence." He stated that "selective targeting of camps and hideouts was carried out with precision and accuracy" .

Four major targets were completely destroyed during the operation, including a training center, a hideout, an ammunition cache, and command centers belonging to Fitna Al Khwarij Commander Aleem Khan Khushali and Commander Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel .

The minister shared that the action was a direct response to a recent wave of terrorist incidents inside Pakistan, including:

• A terrorist attack on a Federal Constabulary post in Musa Dara on June 9, 2026 ;

• A vehicle-borne suicide attack on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2, 2026 ; and

• The attack on a police station in Bannu on May 9, 2026 .

Elimination of High-Value Terrorist Commanders

Security officials have confirmed that among the dead are five senior commanders who were directly responsible for planning and executing attacks that resulted in the killing of innocent civilians and security personnel inside Pakistan. These commanders reportedly belonged to a nexus involving the Afghan Taliban, TTP, ISKP, and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group .

Previous strikes in the region have also seen the elimination of high-value targets. According to reports from February 2026, Pakistani airstrikes in Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika provinces killed Akhtar Mohammad, the deputy of Hafiz Gul Bahadur's group, and Osama, a senior operational commander of Al-Qaeda . Those strikes also reportedly killed over 90 militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda, ISIS, TTP, and ISKP who were involved in deadly bombings and suicide attacks in Bannu, Bajaur, and on the outskirts of Islamabad .

Indian Sponsorship Exposed

Officials have explicitly identified the eliminated militants as "Indian-sponsored" terrorists, reinforcing Pakistan's long-standing assertion that hostile intelligence agencies - particularly India's RAW - are actively funding, arming, and directing proxy terrorist networks to destabilize Pakistan .

"There is undeniable evidence that the Fitna Al Khwarij network operates as a proxy for Indian intelligence. These strikes have dismantled a significant part of that infrastructure," a senior security official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In March 2026, Radio Pakistan reported that India has been supporting IS-Khorasan Province (IS-KP) terrorists to use terrorism as a weapon against neighboring countries, especially Pakistan . The report noted that an Indian citizen from Kerala was recently arrested in Afghanistan while working for IS-KP, and that an Indian national named Abu Usman Al Kashmiri, who was a notorious IS-KP commander, was killed in Afghanistan last year .

Response to Recent Attacks

The airstrikes come in the wake of intensified militant activity along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. According to security sources, militant attacks in Pakistan have risen significantly since 2022, following the Taliban's return to power in Kabul .

In the aftermath of the strikes, Information Minister Tarar reiterated that "Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority" .

Taliban's Conflicting Claims

The Taliban administration in Kabul has issued conflicting claims regarding the airstrikes. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid alleged that Pakistani strikes hit civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, claiming that 13 people - including 11 children - were killed . However, these claims have been rejected by Pakistani officials, who assert that the strikes were selective, intelligence-based, and targeted only militant hideouts .

A tribal elder from Khost, Haji Ali Khan, told Reuters that one of the airstrikes hit the home of a local shepherd after midnight, killing 10 people . However, these accounts remain unverified by independent sources, and Pakistani officials maintain that the targets were legitimate militant installations.

The Taliban has repeatedly denied Pakistan's allegations that it harbors militant groups responsible for cross-border attacks . However, United Nations Security Council reports have documented that Afghan soil continues to be used by over 20 international terrorist organizations, including the TTP, which maintains safe havens and operational freedom within Afghanistan .

Operation Azm-e-Istehkam Continues

The airstrikes are part of Pakistan's ongoing counter-terrorism campaign, Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on the National Action Plan . According to officials, the security forces and law enforcement agencies "will continue efforts to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country" .

Military analysts note that the airstrikes represent a significant escalation in Pakistan's efforts to dismantle militant infrastructure operating from across the border. The elimination of multiple commanders is expected to degrade the operational capabilities of these groups and disrupt future attack plotting.

What Comes Next

With the elimination of these commanders, security forces are expected to maintain pressure on remaining militant hideouts along the border. Intelligence sources indicate that further operations are planned as part of the ongoing campaign to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism.

As one security official concluded: "The message is clear: those who take up arms against Pakistan - regardless of who sponsors them or where they hide - will be pursued, targeted, and eliminated."