Pakistan Military Says Afghanistan-Linked Threats Justify Targeted Action, Calls for Stronger Domestic Counterterrorism Efforts

October 2, 2026 | Attaullah Hafeez — WAR MONITOR Correspondent, Islamabad

Pakistan’s military leadership said on Friday that the country reserves the right to conduct targeted action against what it describes as terrorism emanating from Afghanistan, while calling for stronger intelligence-led operations and broader measures against militant networks inside Pakistan.
The position was announced following the 277th Corps Commanders’ Conference in Rawalpindi, chaired by Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. According to ISPR, the forum reaffirmed Pakistan’s claimed right to self-defence and targeted action against threats originating from Afghan territory.

The military leadership also accused Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership of facilitating terrorism linked to India and said it would bear responsibility for the consequences. This is Pakistan’s allegation; Afghan authorities have repeatedly rejected Pakistani accusations that they allow Afghan territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.

The statement comes amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan recently acknowledged conducting strikes in Afghanistan’s Helmand and Kunar provinces, saying militant targets were hit. Afghan authorities disputed Pakistan’s account of the strikes and reported civilian casualties, while the United Nations also reported civilian deaths.

Focus on Operations Inside Pakistan
The commanders praised continuing intelligence-based counterterrorism operations by Pakistani law-enforcement agencies and called for them to be further strengthened. However, the forum said military and security operations alone would not be sufficient to address militancy.

According to ISPR, the commanders called for stronger grassroots governance, improved police capacity, greater public engagement and measures to dismantle links between militant activity and criminal networks. These measures were presented as complementary to ongoing security operations under Pakistan’s broader counterterrorism framework.

The latest statement therefore signals that cross-border threats from Afghanistan and domestic counterterrorism operations remain closely linked in Pakistan’s current security approach, while the central dispute with Kabul — whether militant groups are being facilitated from Afghan territory — remains contested between the two governments.
Claims concerning Afghan Taliban facilitation of militant groups have not been independently established.

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