Pakistan Airstrikes In Afghanistan Kill Dozens, Taliban Alleges Women And Children Among Dead

Tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier escalated sharply after overnight airstrikes that Islamabad says targeted militant bases but Kabul insists struck residential areas. Afghan authorities reported heavy casualties, saying ordinary residents were among those killed and wounded.

Kabul Claims Residential Areas Bombed

Afghan officials said the attacks struck parts of Nangarhar and Paktika provinces near the border. The Taliban administration maintained that the victims were civilians and not militants.

According to the Afghan government, "dozens of people" were killed and wounded in the attack.

"Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children," Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in a post on X.

Residents in the affected districts reported damage to houses and local infrastructure, further intensifying anger against Pakistan inside Afghanistan.

Pakistan Says It Targeted Militant Hideouts

Islamabad defended the operation, describing it as a security response following recent suicide bombings it attributes to militant groups operating from Afghan territory.

Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, in a post on X, confirmed the attack, citing three attacks since the start of Ramadan last week. "Pakistan has carried out intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Pakistani Taliban and its affiliates in the border region," he said.

Tarar added that Pakistan also targeted an affiliate of the Islamic State group - which had claimed responsibility for the recent attack on a mosque in Islamabad in which 31 people died, and more than 160 were injured. This was one of the deadliest attacks on Islamabad since the 2008 Marriott hotel bombing.

Army Accuses Taliban Of Inaction

Pakistan's military said it had repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban authorities to act against armed groups allegedly using Afghan territory to launch attacks across the border.

The Pakistani Army, in a statement, said that despite the repeated efforts to urge the Afghan Taliban regime to take verifiable measures to deny use of Afghan territory by terrorist groups and foreign proxies to carry out Terrorist activities in Pakistan, the Afghan Taliban Regime "failed to undertake any substantive action against them".

"Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region, but at the same time, the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority. In this backdrop, Pakistan, in a retributive response, has carried out intelligence-based selective targeting of seven Terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban of FAK and its affiliates and ISKP at the border region of Pakistan-Afghan border with precision and accuracy," it added.

Bitter Relations Since 2021

Relations between the neighbouring countries have steadily worsened since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of allowing militant organisations to find sanctuary across the frontier.

Kabul, however, rejects the allegations and insists it does not permit its territory to be used against any country. The latest strikes and counter-claims are likely to deepen mistrust, raising fears of further military confrontation along the volatile border.