Pakistani Report: Al-Qaeda Commanders Killed in Airstrikes in Eastern Afghanistan

Pakistan’s Nishan newspaper, citing the country’s security officials, has reported that airstrikes by the Pakistani military on parts of eastern Afghanistan have resulted in the deaths of several commanders from Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group and Al-Qaeda network. According to the report, these strikes took place on Tuesday, February 23, in the provinces of Nangarhar, Khost, and Paktika.

The media outlet wrote that in Nangarhar, centers named ‘Naya Markaz 1,’ ‘Foreign Center Maulvi Abbas,’ and ‘Foreign Center Islam’ were targeted. Additionally, in Khost, ‘Foreign Center Maulvi Rahbar,’ ‘Foreign Center Islam,’ and ‘Foreign Center Ibrahim’ were attacked, while in Paktika, the ‘Foreign Center Maulvi Mukhlis Bagh’ was also hit.

Among those killed were Akhtar Mohammad, the deputy of Hafiz Gul Bahadur’s group, and an individual named Osama, identified as a senior operational commander of Al-Qaeda. The report added that more than 90 individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the ISIS Khorasan Province (ISKP) were also killed in these attacks.

According to Pakistani security officials, these individuals were directly involved in planning and executing deadly bombing and suicide attacks in Bannu, Bajaur, and a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. So far, the Taliban administration has not officially clarified the casualties or details of these airstrikes.

Meanwhile, local sources have stated that the Taliban administration has restricted media and residents’ access to the areas reportedly targeted by the airstrikes. These restrictions have raised concerns about information transparency and the situation of civilians, once again prompting questions about how security is being managed in these Taliban-controlled regions.