Pakistan carried out air strikes early on Thursday, September 24, 2026, targeting 10 sites in Afghanistan that it claimed were used to launch drone attacks against Pakistan a day earlier. The strikes hit southern and eastern Afghan provinces of Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost. Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated that the air strikes resulted in the deaths of four civilians.
The announcement of the strikes by Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar came after officials said Afghanistan's Taliban forces had fired eight drones and shelled Pakistani border posts. This followed Pakistani troops foiling what they described as a cross-border infiltration attempt by militants. However, Mujahid rejected Pakistan's claims of drone attacks and warned of "consequences" for Pakistan over its air strikes.
The escalation threatens mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to broker a lasting peace between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan's Taliban government of allowing militants to operate from its territory and carry out attacks across the border, an accusation Kabul denies. Tarar stated that instead of taking action against these networks, the Afghan Taliban regime had chosen to escalate the situation.
Pakistani officials claimed that security forces had neutralized eight rudimentary drones launched by the Afghan Taliban before they could enter the northwestern city of Kohat and the border town of Torkham. Afghan forces allegedly fired mortars and other heavy weapons at Pakistani border posts, prompting Pakistani forces to respond with artillery fire targeting Taliban border posts, mortar sites, and defensive positions.
This recent flare-up follows Monday's air strikes by Pakistan, which resulted in the deaths of 28 militants, according to the Pakistani Information Ministry. However, Afghan authorities reported that at least three civilians died and four others were wounded. The UN mission in Afghanistan confirmed the civilian casualties, and Kabul formally protested against the attack.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar expressed concern about the presence of over two dozen anti-Pakistani militant groups in Afghanistan during the UN General Assembly in New York. The Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, have stepped up their attacks on Pakistani security forces, boosted by the Afghan Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The recent violence follows a shootout with militants in Hangu, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border, that killed six Pakistani security personnel. A suicide bomber also struck a mosque inside a police compound in the nearby city of Kohat, triggering a 20-hour gunbattle that killed at least 21 people, most of them police officers.
Key points
- Pakistan conducts air strikes on 10 sites in Afghanistan, killing 4 civilians.
- The escalation threatens mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
- Pakistan accuses Afghanistan's Taliban government of allowing militants to operate from its territory.
