Pakistan completely destroyed an Afghan Taliban military compound housing suicide bombers and ammunition in Kandahar.

Satellite imagery shows the Taliban compound reduced to ashes.

Indian Proxy Taliban will never forget the damage 🔥🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/IeAzymwHQd

— Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) September 24, 2026

Target: Sarai Mullah Omar Facility

According to BBC Afghan fact-check analysis of satellite imagery, the targeted facility was Sarai Mullah Omar in Kandahar — the former residence of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, which was used as a CIA base during the Afghan Republic era.

Satellite imagery shows multiple hangars were completely destroyed, with visible flames and smoke rising from the area after the strikes. According to geolocation data released by STRATCOM Bureau, UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter hangars at the former CIA Camp Gecko — now the Afghan Taliban's Kandahar headquarters and governor's residence — were also targeted.

Pakistan Confirms 10 Locations Targeted

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that Pakistan Air Force and drone strikes hit 10 locations inside Afghanistan under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, describing them as "precise, calibrated and proportionate." The targets were drone launch and storage infrastructure linked to cross-border attacks on Pakistan.

Tarar stated the strikes were a direct response to eight drones launched from Afghan territory into Pakistani airspace on September 23. Pakistan's air defences detected, tracked, and neutralised all eight — four near the Torkham border and four in the hills near Kohat.

Taliban Response

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed strikes on Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces, condemning them as "brutal aggression by the Pakistani military regime" and claiming four civilians were killed. The BBC reported that all four deaths occurred in Kandahar.

Taliban spokesman for Khost province, Mustainfir Gulbaz, said targets included Gulan Camp in Gurbaz district, Ismail Khel, and parts of Mandozai, but claimed no casualties occurred, stating the targets were mostly empty houses.

Second Strike in Four Days

This marks Pakistan's second cross-border strike inside Afghanistan in four days. On September 21, Pakistan targeted what it described as militant camps in Kunar and Paktika provinces. Pakistan claimed 28 militants were killed, while UNAMA confirmed at least three civilians — a man, a woman, and a girl — died in Kunar.

The government announced the motorway’s closure earlier this week as it stepped up arrangements to prevent the PTI from marching on Islamabad.

The march was part of the party’s planned nationwide protest to demand the release of its jailed founder, Imran Khan, and mobilise people for the supremacy of the Constitution. The protest was originally planned for Sept 27, but the party has now reportedly deferred it.

Advocate Mian Shafqat Jan, a lawyer of the Supreme Court, filed a petition on Friday against the government’s move to shutdown the M-1 Motorway after he was unable to reach the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to appear in a case due to the closure.

According to the petition, the lawyer was scheduled to appear before the PHC on Sept 24. He managed to enter the motorway from the Islamabad toll plaza at around 7am after facing difficulties but found the route closed at the M-1 Attock Bridge.

The petitioner said he sought information from officials deployed at the site about any written order authorising the closure but was unable to obtain a confirmation.

He contended that closing public routes without a notification, written order or disclosed reasons infringed citizens’ fundamental rights and warranted judicial intervention.

The petition named the federation through the interior and information secretaries, the inspectors general of the National Highways and Motorway Police and Islamabad Police, the National Highway Authority through its chairman, the Islamabad Capital Territory administration through the chief commissioner, and the Punjab government through its home secretary and inspector general of police as respondents.

The petitioner also referred to a recent IHC judgement about the planned PTI protest, arguing that the court had recognised constitutional protections for citizens, including freedom of movement and access to courts.

In its detailed 37-page judgement in the case pertaining to the PTI’s planned protest, the IHC held that any activity resulting in the infringement of citizens’ fundamental rights amounted to a violation of the Constitution. It also observed that the right to peaceful assembly could not be exercised in a manner that infringed the rights of other citizens.

The bench, headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif, directed the authorities to ensure that no political party, leader or public office holder occupied roads, highways, interchanges or toll plazas in a manner that obstructed free movement or hindered access to medical and educational facilities.

On the basis of these arguments, Advocate Jan urged the high court in his plea to declare the closure of roads and highways without any notification, written order or disclosed reasons illegal and unconstitutional.

He has also sought directions for the interior secretary, communications secretary and Islamabad chief commissioner to ensure the reopening of blocked routes for emergency traffic, lawyers, litigants, witnesses, sick persons, funeral processions and other emergency services.

According to the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP), the M-1 has been closed to all traffic in both directions between the Islamabad Toll Plaza and Chhachh Interchange, while the M-14 was closed from Hakla to Kundal. The GT Road was also closed at Attock Khurd.

The government had also decided to close the Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M14) — also known as the CPEC road — and GT Road.

Security arrangements were also intensified in Attock, with containers and sandbags placed at key bridges and security tightened at major entry and exit points, as authorities prepared for the PTI protest.

The federal government also approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several districts of Punjab ahead of the PTI’s planned march on the federal capital.

Punjab has already imposed a ban on gatherings across the province for 13 days and prohibited inciting people to “unlawful assembly”. A similar ban under Section 144 has been enforced in Islamabad as well for two months.

Gatherings in the federal capital are also banned under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024, which had been rushed through the National Assembly amidst the opposition’s outcry ahead of a PTI gathering.

Meanwhile, Section 144 has also been imposed in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Balochistan.

The Punjab government had also sent a letter to the federal interior ministry requesting mobile and internet services at specific locations in Rawalpindi and Attock to be downgraded or jammed on Sept 27 due to the “expected law and order situation”.

🇵🇰 Pakistan Forces Destroy Afghan Taliban Positions Near the Border

Mateen Thana — Destroyed
Pasta Thana — Destroyed
Almarjan Thana — Destroyed
Sartashan Thana — Direct Hit

30+ Taliban fighters killed, one APC destroyed, and several Taliban personnel fled their posts. pic.twitter.com/J8nMXFVfIW

— Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) September 25, 2026

🎯 Thana Positions Destroyed

According to security sources, Pakistani forces successfully targeted and destroyed several key Afghan Taliban positions, including:

• Mateen Thana — Destroyed

• Pasta Thana — Destroyed

• Almarjan Thana — Destroyed

• Sartashan Thana — Direct Hit

The strikes were carried out under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which was launched in response to what officials described as unprovoked aggression by Afghan Taliban forces and their supported militant elements along the Durand Line .

💥 30+ Taliban Fighters Killed, APC Destroyed

Security sources reported that over 30 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed during the fierce engagement, marking one of the most severe border clashes along the Chaman corridor in recent months . One Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) belonging to the Taliban forces was also destroyed with direct fire .

Following the intense retaliatory barrage, several Afghan Taliban personnel abandoned their posts and fled from the border positions, according to security officials .

⚔️ Context: Infiltration Attempt Sparked Clash

The escalation began when Pakistani forces foiled an infiltration attempt by Fitna al-Khawarij militants attempting to cross into the Kurram sector from Afghanistan's Nangarhar and Paktia provinces, allegedly under Afghan Taliban supervision .

After the infiltration attempt was thwarted, Afghan Taliban forces opened indiscriminate fire on Pakistani border posts using heavy weapons, mortars, and other arms. Pakistani forces responded with concentrated artillery and direct strikes targeting Afghan Taliban posts, mortar positions, and defensive fortifications .

📊 Casualty Figures

While Pakistani security sources reported over 30 Taliban fighters killed and one APC destroyed , Afghan authorities have not publicly confirmed these casualty figures. The accounts could not be independently verified as of publication time .

Security sources emphasized that Pakistani forces continue to maintain complete control over the border areas and remain fully alert to respond decisively to any further provocation .

⚡️🇵🇰 Pakistan has launched AIRSTRIKES on 10 locations across Afghanistan, targeting terrorist hideouts and support infrastructure, including drone launch and storage sites linked to attacks on Pakistan.

The strikes targeted facilities in areas under Afghan Taliban control. pic.twitter.com/k2E3G80i97

— Zard si Gana (@ZardSi) September 24, 2026

'Precise, Calibrated and Proportionate'

In a statement posted on X, Tarar said the strikes were conducted under Operation Ghazab lil-Haq and described them as "deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate." He stated that the targets were limited to militant infrastructure directly tied to cross-border attacks.

The strikes targeted facilities in areas under Afghan Taliban control, including locations in Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces. According to security sources, the operation destroyed 10 sites comprising terrorist hideouts, drone launch pads, and storage facilities.

Response to Drone Incursions

The airstrikes followed the interception of multiple drones launched from Afghan territory into Pakistani airspace on September 23. According to security officials, Pakistan's air defences detected, tracked, and neutralised eight drones — four near the Torkham border and four in the hills near Kohat.

Minister Tarar stated that the strikes were a direct response to these incursions and warned that "any further provocation will invite a resolute response."

Taliban Denies Responsibility, Claims Civilian Casualties

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that the group launched drones toward Pakistan and condemned the strikes as a "flagrant violation" of Afghan sovereignty. He claimed that four civilians were killed in the bombing across Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces, and vowed an "appropriate response."

A resident of Kandahar city told AFP he heard the sound of a jet followed by a large explosion and saw fire in the city centre. Kandahar is the spiritual heartland of the Taliban movement and the seat of its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Second Strike in Four Days

This marks the second Pakistani airstrike inside Afghanistan in four days. On September 21, Pakistan targeted what it described as militant camps and suicide-bomb training facilities in eastern Afghanistan, claiming 28 militants were killed. That operation came in the wake of a suicide attack on the Kohat Police Lines mosque, which killed at least 16 people, including five police officers.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of harbouring and facilitating the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied groups. Kabul denies these allegations and has summoned Pakistan's envoy in protest.

Regional Implications

The strikes risk further destabilising already fragile relations between Islamabad and Kabul. Talks between the two sides in Doha reportedly failed to produce results, with Taliban officials saying Pakistan demanded the Taliban take responsibility for Pakistan's internal security — a demand Kabul rejected.