Taliban Reports Civilian Deaths in Pakistani Air Strikes

Afghanistan's Taliban government reported that Pakistani air strikes killed four civilians and hit provinces including Kandahar, the Taliban's traditional stronghold. The Pakistani military stated its forces struck 10 targets in Afghanistan, asserting the operations were "strictly limited to identified military objectives" and in response to recent attacks.

This marks the second wave of Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory within a week. The recent escalation follows a deadly attack on a police facility in Pakistan on September 18, which killed at least 31 people. A group linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has been waging a violent campaign against Pakistan, claimed responsibility for that attack.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes as "reckless, careless, and hostile," warning of an "appropriate response" and "adverse consequences for the Pakistani military." He identified Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces as targets. In Paktia, jets reportedly bombed the Taliban-controlled 203 Mansouri Corps, though no casualties were immediately reported for that specific strike. In Khost, a spokesman said houses were damaged, but no civilian casualties were confirmed in that area. Eyewitnesses described hearing jets, explosions, and panic in the affected areas.

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar defended the strikes as "deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate," aimed at "identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan." He added that Pakistan detected drones launched from Afghanistan on Wednesday and neutralized them, an accusation that Taliban officials denied.

The current tensions follow a period of relative calm between the two nations. Islamabad has accused Kabul of harboring the TTP, a claim the Afghan Taliban government denies, stating militancy is Pakistan's internal issue. Following the September 18 police facility attack, Pakistan announced it had launched air strikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, claiming to have killed 28 militants.

The UN mission in Afghanistan (Unama) confirmed that at least three civilians were killed in a previous strike. Unama data from October 2025 to June 2026 indicated that cross-border armed violence between Taliban forces and Pakistani security forces resulted in at least 499 civilian deaths and 1,216 injuries. A significant incident in March saw over 269 people killed in a Pakistani air strike on Kabul, which Afghanistan's Taliban government alleged hit a drug rehabilitation center, while Islamabad maintained it precisely targeted military installations. Despite a ceasefire agreement in March, international mediation has not yielded a lasting resolution. Earlier this week, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged for "concrete and verifiable" measures to prevent Afghan territory from being used for terrorism.