Pakistan conducted a series of air and ground strikes in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, targeting militant groups along the border region. Islamabad stated that the operations, which it described as precision strikes, killed dozens of militants linked to a group it holds responsible for a recent deadly attack in Karachi. However, the Taliban-led Afghan government reported that the strikes caused significant civilian casualties, with at least 36 civilians killed and over 160 wounded.
The Pakistani Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the offensive targeted Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and involved both air and ground operations in the provinces of Paktia, Paktika, and Kunar. Tarar claimed that 25 to 29 militants were killed and that several militant hideouts were destroyed. He added that four militants died during ground engagements.
Afghan officials have consistently rejected accusations that militant groups operate within their territory or use it as a base for attacks on Pakistan. The Taliban government’s deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, condemned the strikes, stating that when local residents responded to the initial bombings to conduct rescue operations in Paktia’s Tsamkani district, the area was targeted again, causing additional casualties. Fitrat also described the numerous civilian deaths, including women, children, and the elderly, and highlighted the humanitarian toll of repeated bombings on communities.
Local residents corroborated this account, describing scenes of anguish at hospitals and funerals. Adam Khan, a resident of Paktia, recounted the distressing condition of children wounded in the airstrikes, while community leader Amin Mangal in Paktika said a Pakistani strike on a house killed six impoverished people who depended on charity, with no able-bodied men in the household.
The strikes represent the deadliest Pakistani operation into Afghanistan since March, when an attack on a Kabul drug treatment center resulted in hundreds of casualties reported by the United Nations. The latest violence follows months of tension and intermittent clashes between the two neighbors, which escalated into a brief but intense conflict earlier this year, killing hundreds and displacing tens of thousands.
Recent diplomatic efforts, including mediation attempts by regional powers such as China, have failed to establish a lasting resolution to the strife along the porous border. Following Monday’s strikes, both countries summoned each other’s diplomats for consultations amid ongoing accusations and heightened tensions.
The Pakistani offensive comes days after a militant assault on a paramilitary camp in Karachi killed three personnel and involved an attacker allegedly linked to Afghanistan. Islamabad has defended its actions as necessary to combat militancy threatening its security, even as the Afghanistan government condemns violation of its sovereignty and the resulting civilian suffering.