Women, Children Killed as Pakistan Launches Overnight Strikes on Afghanistan

Islamabad said the strikes were launched on Afghanistan following recent suicide bombings in Pakistan

Women, Children Killed as Pakistan Launches Overnight Strikes on Afghanistan

Pakistan has carried out deadly overnight airstrikes on Afghanistan, killing at least 18 people, including women and children, according to the Afghan Taliban, in a major escalation of Pakistan–Afghanistan tensions along their volatile border.

Islamabad confirmed that the operation involved precision airstrikes against seven alleged militant camps and hideouts close to the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, saying the attacks were launched in retaliation for recent suicide bombings inside Pakistan. Pakistani officials said the strikes were intelligence-based and aimed at eliminating armed groups accused of orchestrating cross-border attacks.

The Taliban government in Afghanistan strongly condemned the strikes, accusing Pakistan of bombing civilian homes and a religious school. Afghan authorities described the attacks as a violation of national sovereignty and warned that continued military action could worsen regional instability.

According to Afghanistan’s defence ministry, the airstrikes hit civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. In Girdi Kas village in the Bihsud district of Nangarhar, residents said entire families were affected when homes were destroyed. Local Taliban officials said 18 members of one family were killed, while only a few survived. Earlier casualty estimates had placed the death toll at around 20 people, though figures were later revised.

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In Paktika province, strikes reportedly hit a guesthouse and a religious school in the Bermal and Urgun districts. Local officials said those facilities were empty at the time, and no deaths were reported there.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the military action involved “selective targeting” of fighters linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which Islamabad refers to as Fitna al Khawarij, as well as elements of the Islamic State-Khorasan Province. The ministry described the operation as a retributive response to terror attacks it said were planned from Afghan soil.

The latest escalation follows a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing at a Shia mosque in Islamabad earlier this month and additional assaults in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the start of Ramadan. Pakistan accused the Afghan Taliban of failing to rein in militants, claiming it had conclusive evidence that some of the attacks were directed from across the border. Kabul has repeatedly denied allowing Afghan territory to be used against neighbouring countries.

In a strongly worded response, the Taliban’s defence ministry described the airstrikes as a “blatant violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity” and a “clear breach of international law.” It warned that an “appropriate and measured response” would be taken at a suitable time, accusing Pakistan of flawed intelligence for hitting civilian targets and religious institutions.

The strikes come despite a fragile ceasefire reached in October after deadly cross-border clashes, the worst since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Although that truce reduced large-scale fighting, sporadic clashes and air operations have continued to strain relations.

Tensions had briefly eased earlier this week after Saudi Arabia mediated the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured during last year’s border clashes. However, analysts warn that the latest airstrikes could undermine diplomatic efforts, worsen humanitarian conditions in border communities, and heighten the risk of further retaliation.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 1,600-mile mountainous border, long plagued by militancy, smuggling, and recurring military confrontations, making it one of the region’s most unstable frontiers.