Pakistan airstrikes kill dozens of Afghan civilians near border: Kabul

Afghanistan’s government said the overnight strikes hit parts of Nangarhar and Paktika, killing and wounding “dozens of people,” including women and children. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X that civilians were “martyred and wounded” in the attacks.

Pakistan confirmed the operation, saying it targeted militant infrastructure across the border.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said Islamabad conducted “intelligence-based selective targeting” of seven camps and hideouts belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and its affiliates, media reports said.

He added that an affiliate of the Islamic State Khorasan Province was also struck.

According to Tarar, the operation followed a series of militant attacks since the start of Ramadan, including a deadly assault on a mosque in Islamabad that killed at least 31 people and injured more than 160, one of the capital’s deadliest attacks since the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing.

In a statement to the media, the Pakistan Army said it had repeatedly urged the Taliban authorities in Kabul to take “verifiable measures” to prevent Afghan territory from being used by militant groups to carry out attacks in Pakistan, but claimed those efforts had failed.

Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s rulers of harbouring militants responsible for cross-border violence, while the Taliban government denies the allegations.

Recent months have seen deadly border clashes and rising diplomatic strain, with the latest airstrikes threatening to inflame an already volatile relationship.