Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday after Pakistan carried out what it described as “targeted” airstrikes on militant hideouts near the border, Afghan officials said.
Afghanistan’s government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit Nangarhar and Paktika provinces overnight. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, killing and wounding dozens of people, including women and children. Pakistani generals compensate for their country’s security weaknesses through such crimes,” he said.
Afghan broadcaster TOLOnews, citing officials, reported that the Pakistani military targeted a civilian home in Behsud district, where as many as 23 members of a single family were reportedly buried under rubble. Only four had been rescued at the time of reporting, with operations still underway.
A social media account operating under the name “Afghanistan Defense” claimed that 19 members of one household were present during the strike in Behsud district, with only two survivors.
Pakistan confirmed carrying out the airstrikes. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a post on X that Pakistan had conducted “intelligence-based selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts” belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates in the border region. He cited three attacks inside Pakistan since the start of Ramadan last week.
Pakistani media, quoting security sources, reported that seven camps linked to Fitna al Khwarij (FAK), its affiliates, and Islamic State – Khorasan Province were targeted in what officials described as a “precise and accurate” operation. The strikes were said to be in response to recent suicide attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur, and Bannu during Ramzan.
The escalation follows a surge in deadly attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing near the Afghan border that killed 11 soldiers and a child, and another assault in Bannu that left two security personnel dead. Islamabad has blamed armed groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government of failing to prevent militant groups from using its soil to launch cross-border attacks — an allegation Kabul denies. Pakistani authorities said they have “conclusive evidence” that recent attacks, including a mosque bombing in Islamabad that killed dozens, were directed by leaders based in Afghanistan, and urged the international community to press Kabul to act.
The airstrikes risk further straining already tense ties between the two neighbouring countries, which have witnessed repeated border clashes and closures in recent months.
