Cross-border Pakistan strike kills 29 militants near Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD — cross-border Pakistan strike killed 29 militants in intelligence-led ground operations and calibrated attacks along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on Sunday, June 29, 2026. Pakistan said the action came after a series of militant attacks across the country, including an assault on the Sindh Rangers headquarters in Karachi a day earlier.

The impact reached beyond the battlefield. Islamabad again accused militants of hiding in Afghanistan, while the Taliban government in Kabul had not responded to the latest operation as of publication.

Operation started in Bajaur

In a post on X, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the first operation took place in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Security forces killed four militants there, including a commander identified as Khan Farosh.

Tarar said the operation targeted hideouts of Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khwarij, the term Islamabad uses for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. That group has long been linked by Pakistani officials to a rise in attacks on security forces.

The Bajaur toll was smaller. The signal was not.

Cross-border Pakistan strike hit three Afghan provinces

After the operation on Pakistan’s side, the military carried out what it called “calibrated strikes” on three targets in Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces. Pakistan said the strikes destroyed militant camps and hideouts, while also wiping out stored weapons and ammunition at the sites.

Tarar said 25 more militants were killed in those attacks. Combined with the deaths in Bajaur, the total reached 29. That figure also matches reports from AP and several other international outlets, including CBS News and The Hindu, which also cited 29 militants killed.

Pakistan’s statement also worked as a political message. Islamabad appeared intent on showing it would not only respond inside its own borders, but would also pursue targets across the frontier if it believes the threat comes from there.

Karachi attack triggered the response

The operation came one day after an attack on the Sindh Rangers regional headquarters in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest port city. Pakistani authorities said militants rammed the main gate with a vehicle, then opened fire and threw grenades.

Security forces killed three attackers and arrested another militant, described as an Afghan national, who was wounded. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack. In a separate statement, the TTP splinter group did not deny the attack and instead confirmed its involvement.

The Karachi assault helped justify the follow-up operation. The city sits far from the northwestern border, which showed the militant network still has the reach to strike key state targets deep inside Pakistan.

Old accusations, old denials

Pakistan has long accused the Taliban government in Afghanistan of sheltering TTP members and allowing them to carry out cross-border attacks. Kabul has repeatedly denied that claim. As of publication, there was no official comment from the Taliban on Pakistan’s latest operation.

The dispute is not new. Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has several times launched cross-border strikes on the grounds that it was targeting TTP and allied groups operating from Afghan soil. Last year, a wave of clashes and retaliatory attacks briefly raised tensions between the two countries, especially in border areas vulnerable to smuggling routes and militant movement.

For Pakistan, the operation is about domestic security. For Afghanistan, the accusation cuts into sovereignty. The room for compromise is narrow.

Tarar ended his statement with a firm line. “Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region, but at the same time will not compromise on the safety and security of our people, which remains the top priority,” he said.

That line points to Islamabad’s current posture: hard against militants, and ready to widen its response if attacks continue.