Pakistan has carried out multiple overnight air strikes inside Afghanistan, with the Taliban authorities saying at least 18 people, including women and children, were killed.
Islamabad said the strikes targeted seven alleged militant camps and hideouts near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting described the operation as an “intelligence-based selective targeting” and a “retributive response” to recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.
The government said the targets included members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which it refers to as “Fitna al Khawarij,” along with their affiliates and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province.
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities strongly condemned the strikes, calling them a “blatant violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity” and a breach of international law. The Taliban defence ministry warned that an “appropriate and measured response” would be taken.
According to Taliban officials, the strikes hit civilian areas in Nangarhar Province and Paktika Province. In Girdi Kas village in Nangarhar’s Bihsud district, residents reported heavy casualties after homes were destroyed.
A local resident, Shahabuddin, told reporters that only five out of 23 members of his family survived after their house was hit. A Taliban spokesman said 18 members of that family were killed. Earlier reports suggested around 20 fatalities. No deaths were immediately confirmed in other targeted areas.
Pakistan has accused the Afghan Taliban of failing to act against militants operating from Afghan territory, claiming it has “conclusive evidence” linking recent attacks to leadership based in Afghanistan.
The air strikes come months after a fragile ceasefire was agreed in October following deadly cross-border clashes — the worst fighting since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Despite the ceasefire, sporadic violence has continued.
The latest escalation raises concerns of renewed instability along the 1,600-mile mountainous border shared by the two countries.
Investigations and assessments of the full casualty toll are ongoing.
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