Pakistan, which recently carried out drone and fighter-jet strikes on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has now reportedly been hit back by the Afghan Taliban. According to Afghan Taliban-linked media reports, two unidentified drones attacked ISIS hideouts in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, specifically in the Khyber district, on Wednesday evening.
Reports claim that several senior ISIS commanders, including Abdul Hakim Tohidi, Gul Nazim and Sadiq Yar, were present at the hideout when the strike happened. Afghan Taliban sources allege that these men were involved in multiple attacks inside Afghanistan. After carrying out the strike, the drones reportedly returned safely to Afghan territory.
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Residents said they saw several drones flying over the area that night. The Pakistani Army tried to shoot them down using heavy machine guns, but failed to stop them. Pakistan has not released any official statement on the incident so far. According to Taliban-linked outlet Al-Mersad, the ISIS militants targeted in this strike belonged to the Khyber and Orakzai regions and were close associates of local ISIS leader Abdul Malik, who was killed on August 8.
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Pakistan’s Earlier Airstrike Inside Afghanistan
ISIS commander Abdul Hakim was known as the head of ISIS’s western zone and was active mainly in Herat province in Afghanistan. He had recently taken shelter in the mountainous areas of Pakistan’s Khyber district. Taliban sources accuse Pakistan’s military of supporting certain ISIS elements to pressure the Taliban government, hoping to force Kabul to cooperate with Pakistan’s agenda, including encouraging attacks against India. But the Taliban have made it clear they will not bow to Pakistan’s demands and have instead strengthened ties with India.
Recently, the Pakistani Air Force carried out a major strike inside Afghanistan that killed 10 people, including nine children. This sharply increased tensions between the two countries, and the Taliban warned they would respond at the right time. Meanwhile, peace talks between Pakistan and the Taliban are being held in Turkey. Pakistan continues to pressure the Taliban to act against TTP, while the Taliban argue that TTP fighters are hiding inside Pakistan itself. TTP chief Noor Wali recently released a video from Pakistan’s mountains to support this claim.