Pakistan Strikes Afghanistan as Border Conflict Leaves 36 Civilians Dead

At least 36 civilians, including women and children, were killed and more than 160 others injured in overnight airstrikes by Pakistani forces in eastern Afghanistan, Taliban authorities said on Monday, marking the latest escalation in tensions between the neighbouring countries.

Pakistan, however, claimed its military operation targeted militant hideouts and safe havens along the border, adding that 29 fighters were killed during coordinated ground and air operations launched late Sunday in response to a series of militant attacks inside Pakistan.

Afghanistan's Taliban government condemned the strikes as a "cowardly act of aggression" and accused Islamabad of targeting civilians. Hamdullah Fitrat, deputy spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said the deadliest strike occurred in Mandokhail village in Paktia province's Chamkani district.

In Mandokhail Village, within Chamkani District of Paktia Province, Pakistani fighter jets bombed a civilian residence. As a result, one elderly man and one child from the household were martyred, while other members of the family sustained injuries.

Subsequently, when local residents gathered to conduct rescue operations, the area was bombed for a second time, resulting in the martyrdom of 28 villagers and injuries to 158 others," Fitrat said in a post on X.

He added that six people, mostly women and children, were killed after a residential house was struck in Walust village of Paktika province's Giyan district. Another civilian house in Barolo village in Kunar province was destroyed, though no casualties were reported there. Fitrat said three residential houses were completely destroyed in the attacks.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar defended the military action, saying it was launched after multiple militant attacks in the country. Islamabad has repeatedly accused the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of using Afghan territory to plan and launch attacks against Pakistani security forces, an allegation the Taliban administration has consistently denied.

The latest operation came days after militants attacked the Pakistan Rangers' regional headquarters in Karachi, killing three soldiers. Islamabad said security forces killed three attackers and arrested another suspected militant, whom it identified as an Afghan national.

Notably, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the assault.

Notably, cross-border tensions between Kabul and Islamabad have intensified in recent months, with both countries exchanging military strikes following repeated accusations of harbouring militants.

Diplomatic efforts, including talks facilitated by China, have so far failed to secure a lasting ceasefire, raising fears of further escalation along the volatile Afghanistan-Pakistan border.