Pakistan signaled it will strike deep inside Afghanistan following a suicide bombing in Bannu district that killed Lieutenant Colonel Shazada Gul and two soldiers between 11:45 AM and 1:45 PM UTC on February 21, 2026, according to ISPR statements cited by Wajahat Kazmi on X at 2:05 PM UTC. ISPR accused the Afghan Taliban regime of failing to stop terrorists using Afghan soil during Ramadan. ISPR stated Pakistan will exercise no restraint and continue operations against perpetrators irrespective of location for retribution, as quoted in the X post by Kazmi during the 29-minute window from 1:45 PM to 2:15 PM UTC. The post referenced the Bannu attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where a bomber rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle rickshaw into a military vehicle during an intelligence operation, per earlier reports by Iftikhar Firdous. No specific timing or details on planned strikes were provided in the new source. ISPR reiterated terrorists violate Ramadan sanctity using Afghan territory, echoing prior statements cited by Dawn.com. The Bannu incident occurred hours after Pakistan shut down its national firewall at 10:00 AM UTC, as previously reported.
