‘Complete intelligence failure’: How Pakistan airstrikes in Afghanistan missed TTP targets, killed civilians

FILE PHOTO: Residents gather near a damaged house as a loader clears debris, following the Pakistani airstrikes, in Bihsud district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, February 22, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

Pakistan’s recent airstrikes in Afghanistan failed to kill senior TTP leaders, resulting in civilian casualties and international concern. The intelligence failure has triggered an internal inquiry and worsened tensions with Afghanistan amid calls for restraint.

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Pakistan’s latest cross-border airstrikes inside Afghanistan have come under sharp scrutiny after the operation failed to eliminate any senior leaders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and instead resulted in civilian casualties.

An intelligence source familiar with the operation told CNN-News18 that no high-value or most-wanted TTP figure was killed in the strikes, calling the operation a complete failure.

“Pakistan failed to achieve any objective goal in the recent strikes,” the source told CNN-News18, describing the action as a “complete intelligence failure”.

No senior TTP leader killed, claims source

According to the intelligence source quoted by CNN-News18, the strikes did not eliminate any senior TTP commander or key militant leader, despite Pakistan’s stated objective of targeting terrorist infrastructure operating from Afghan territory.

The source said this was not an isolated failure but part of a pattern.

“This is the second time Pakistani forces have failed to eliminate top TTP leadership in cross-border operations,” the source said.

In October last year, Pakistan had claimed it targeted TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, but subsequent assessments showed that he survived the operation.

Civilian casualties spark international alarm

Instead of neutralising militant leadership, the latest strikes have reportedly killed civilians, including women and children, according to local reports and humanitarian observers cited by CNN-News18.

The civilian deaths have drawn international concern, particularly from the United Nations.

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, raised alarm in a post on X.

“I am deeply concerned by reports of numerous children and other civilians being killed following renewed conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Bennett wrote.

“I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, protect civilians, and abide by international law.”

Pressure mounts on Pakistan’s intelligence agency

The intelligence failure has reportedly triggered internal pressure within Pakistan’s powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence.

According to the intelligence source quoted by CNN-News18, a high-profile internal inquiry has been launched to investigate operational lapses and faulty intelligence that led to the failed strikes and civilian deaths.

The source said the inquiry is examining both target selection and execution, amid concerns that Pakistan’s intelligence assessments are increasingly unreliable.

Tensions with Afghanistan set to worsen

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban administration of sheltering TTP militants inside Afghanistan, an allegation that Kabul has consistently denied.

The latest airstrikes and the resulting civilian casualties are expected to further damage already strained relations between the two neighbours.

As of now, Pakistani authorities have not officially disclosed details of the targets or confirmed the outcomes of the operation. No evidence has been presented to support claims of militant casualties.

Calls Grow for Restraint and Accountability

With no confirmed militant leaders killed and growing evidence of civilian harm, calls for restraint and independent investigations are intensifying.

For Pakistan, the strikes have not only failed to deliver results but have also reinforced criticism that its counterterror operations rely on flawed intelligence and disregard civilian lives, further isolating Islamabad on the international stage.