An Afghan Taliban leader, Abdul Hameed Khorasani, confirmed between 10:45 PM and 11:15 PM UTC on February 21, 2026, that Pakistani air strikes targeted locations in Paktia and Nangarhar provinces, calling for protest demonstrations outside Pakistani embassies abroad, as reported by taahir_khan on X citing afintl.com. Khorasani's statement follows Pakistani jets striking five districts in Nangarhar and Paktika between 10:15 PM and 10:45 PM UTC, as previously confirmed by a Taliban official to AFIntlBrk. During this 29-minute window, members of the Afghan Taliban fired weapons attempting to shoot down drones despite no visible targets in the sky, according to War_Analysts on X. MCIAZayyan condemned the strikes on X, stating "I strongly condemn Pakistan’s attacks on Afghanistan, where innocent people are being targeted and the sovereignty of a nation is being violated," while hoping for Afghan retaliation focused on Pakistan's GHQ. These developments build on Pakistan's 9:25 PM UTC press statement confirming airstrikes on seven terrorist camps of TTP, affiliates, and ISIS-K in response to suicide bombings in Bannu, Islamabad, and Bajaur.
