On Monday, Pakistani fighter jets carried out airstrikes on sites in eastern Afghanistan that Pakistani officials described as suspected militant hideouts. Pakistan said 28 militants had been killed, while authorities in Kabul reported at least three deaths, UNN reports, citing AP.
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The strikes near the countries’ shared border marked a new escalation of tensions, raising the risk of further cross-border fighting. They also threatened to complicate mediation efforts by regional states, including China.
The strikes came after Pakistan warned that it might attack militants in Afghanistan following two deadly attacks on Pakistani security forces near the border in recent days.
Militant attacks targeting Pakistan’s police and security forces have increased in recent years. The escalation followed months of military operations. Hundreds of people have been killed in cross-border fighting since February, when Afghanistan retaliated with strikes after Pakistan carried out airstrikes on Afghan territory.
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Islamabad authorities accused the Pakistani Taliban and militant groups allied with it of being responsible for most of the violence. The Pakistani Taliban is a separate but allied group to the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Information said security forces had conducted a planned, intelligence-led ground operation in the northwest following a series of militant attacks in the country. The operation was followed by "calibrated airstrikes on the hideouts and safe havens of terrorist organizations responsible for these attacks."
The ministry said in a post on X that the airstrikes had killed 28 militants along the Afghan border.
However, the Afghan government said the strikes had killed three civilians and wounded four others. The claims from both sides could not be independently verified immediately.