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Terror strike leaves 26 dead as fighter jets obliterate mountain 'hideouts'

Pakistan has launched 'precise' airstrikes along the Afghan border, obliterating four alleged terror hideouts and killing 26 people amidst rising regional tensions

[An airborne assault has left 26 people dead in Afghanistan after Pakistani fighter jets targeted suspected terror dens ]

An airborne assault has left 26 people dead in Afghanistan after Pakistani fighter jets targeted suspected terror dens (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A ferocious airborne assault has left 26 people dead after fighter jets targeted suspected terror dens in a dramatic midnight raid. Military aircraft from Pakistan were launched in "precise and calibrated" overnight strikes along a highly volatile mountain border, sparking a furious war of words with neighbours Afghanistan.

The explosive air raids mark the third time the two countries have locked horns in violent combat since October last year. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the deadly bombardment, claiming the targets were operational bases for a banned extremist group.

In a statement on X, Tarar said: "Precise and calibrated strikes were carried out along Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas on hideouts and safe havens of masterminds and planners belonging to Fitna Al Khwarij, killing 26 khawarijs."

[Afghan officials claim the bomb run unlawfully killed innocent civilians inside their own homes]

Afghan officials claim the bomb run unlawfully killed innocent civilians inside their own homes(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Fitna-al-Khawarij is the official term used by authorities to describe the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), reports DT Next.

According to government officials, the lethal aerial blitz was a direct response to a string of bloody attacks on security forces.

These include a June 9 raid on a Federal Constabulary outpost, a devastating suicide car bombing at a military base on June 2 and a separate assault on a police station on May 9.

[Military aircraft from Pakistan were launched in 'precise and calibrated' overnight strikes]

Military aircraft from Pakistan were launched in 'precise and calibrated' overnight strikes(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Defending the aggressive midnight operation, Tarar said: "Based on credible intelligence, selective targeting of camps and hideouts was carried out with precision and accuracy.

"Four targets were completely destroyed including a training centre, a hideout and an ammunition cache and a Marakiz (hub) belonging to the Fitna Al Khwarij Commander Aleem Khan Khushali and Commander Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel."

He added that while his country wants regional stability, "the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority."

However, furious Afghan officials have hit back, claiming the bomb run unlawfully violated their airspace and slaughtered innocent civilians inside their own homes.

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes, listing Kunar, Khost and Paktika as the hit zones.

Mujahid said: "Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika.

"As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman and one elderly man were killed, while 14 other women and children were injured.

The latest bloodshed threatens to derail fragile, behind-the-scenes peace talks currently being brokered by China.

Tensions between the two states have been at a boiling point for months, with Islamabad previously declaring it was in an "open war" after a February flare-up left hundreds of fighters dead.

At the time, Tarar claimed there was an "undeniable nexus" between the Afghan leadership and the terror cells operating across the border.

The bitter rivals share a heavily disputed 2,611-kilometre frontier known as the Durand Line - a boundary line that Kabul has historically refused to officially recognise.

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