• Taking actions to safeguard lives of Pakistanis: Talal Chaudhry.
• Minister says 70,000 IBOs conducted so far across the country.
• Pakistan wishes for better ties with neighbours: state minister.
  

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry has said that nearly 70 terrorists have been neutralised after Pakistan struck terrorist targets along the Pakistan-Afghan border.

The government said that intelligence-based strikes were carried out, targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij (FAK), its affiliates and the Daesh-Khorasan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to recent suicide attacks in Pakistan.

“Afghanistan has long been exporting terrorism. Pakistan is taking all actions to secure the life and property of its citizens,” the state minister said while speaking on Geo News‘ programme “Geo Pakistan” on Sunday.

Explaining further, the state minister said that the forces were conducting operations inside Pakistan, with as many as 70,000 intelligence-based operations (IBOs) taking place so far. “Several people have also been arrested in these operations,” he added.

In light of these operations, Pakistan struck seven different targets, and at least 70 terrorists have been killed. “There is ample evidence suggesting that most of the slain terrorists were Pakistanis,” the minister added.

Chaudhry recalled that during the 2020 Doha accords, the Afghan Taliban had promised the world that they would not allow their soil to be used for terrorism. “However, Afghanistan and its interim government have failed to live up to their promise and have not stopped terrorism.”

He stressed that Pakistan — which has provided a home to thousands of Afghan refugees and also helped Afghanistan economically — remained a responsible state and wished for better relations with its neighbours.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting early on Sunday confirmed the cross-border strikes, describing them as “precise and accurate” and a retaliatory response to recent suicide bombings in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu.

The ministry said the attacks were orchestrated by Afghanistan-based handlers and claimed by elements of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) with links to FAK and Daesh.

Sources had said that the strikes targeted militant hideouts in the Barmal area of Afghanistan’s Paktika province, Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, Ghani Khel, Behsud and Argoon areas.

Meanwhile, Chaudhry said Pakistan made extensive diplomatic efforts in the past, alongside significant military-to-military talks.

He added that Pakistan was not alone in having concerns about Afghanistan, noting that several other countries have also pointed to Kabul’s links to militant outfits. “UN has also confirmed that more than two dozen outfits are operating in Afghanistan.”

Chaudhry urged all political parties to stand united to protect the country and its citizens, highlighting the importance of collaboration in the fight against terrorism.

“The KP [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] assured a united front in the [apex committee] meeting in the war against terrorism,” he said.

“Every political party and every Pakistani is behind our security forces with a clear narrative to make Pakistan safe,” he added.

Islamabad-Kabul tension

Pakistan’s recent strikes along the Afghan border come in the wake of a spate of terrorist attacks in KP and Balochistan, which claimed the lives of numerous civilians and security personnel.

Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban regime to rein in militant groups operating from their territory, but Kabul has largely remained unresponsive to these appeals.

The two countries, back in October 2025, were engaged in border clashes after the Afghan Taliban and militants launched unprovoked attacks against Pakistan’s border posts.

The resulting clashes led to the killing of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the motherland.

Pakistan also conducted “precision strikes” deep inside Afghanistan, targeting terrorists in Kandahar province and Kabul. However, despite many rounds of talks, both countries failed to reach a ceasefire due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to take action against terrorist outfits.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has seen an increase in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in the provinces of KP and Balochistan, which share a border with Afghanistan.

A terrorist attack in Bajaur district on February 17, carried out by Indian proxies, martyred 11 security personnel while 12 militants were gunned down by security forces.