The Taliban regime reached out to Pakistan following Pakistani precision airstrikes on terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, according to an X post by Anas Mallick at approximately 12:45 PM UTC on February 23, 2026, within the reporting window from 12:15 PM to 1:15 PM UTC. Pakistan has not yet responded to the Afghan requests, maintaining that any engagement requires the Taliban to act against terrorism. This diplomatic outreach occurs after Nangarhar's Taliban police command reported five bodies still missing more than 24 hours post-airstrikes in Behsud district, as stated in an official update shared via X by Amu TV at 11:45 AM UTC in the prior reporting window. Pakistan has previously conditioned engagement on Taliban anti-terrorism actions, per the new source. The airstrikes follow heightened tensions, including Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani's earlier threat to annihilate Pakistan and unconfirmed reports of Taliban attack preparations, as covered in previous reports from February 23, 2026.
