Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Pakistan Airstrikes in Afghanistan Kill Civilians, Taliban Vows Retaliation
Pakistan carried out airstrikes in parts of Afghanistan.
The Taliban said three civilians were killed and four were hurt in Kunar.
Another strike in Paktika damaged buildings but reportedly killed no one.
Pakistan said it was targeting terrorists, not ordinary people.
Pakistan also said 28 terrorists were killed.
The strikes came after deadly attacks in Pakistan near the Afghan border.
The Taliban called the strikes an attack on Afghanistan.
It promised to respond.
The two sides have previously had a ceasefire that later ended.
Taliban said Pakistani airstrikes killed three civilians and injured four in Kunar province.
A separate strike in Paktika damaged a house and shop, with no reported casualties.
Pakistan said the strikes targeted terrorist hideouts and killed 28 militants, including at a training center.
The strikes followed attacks in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including the deaths of six soldiers.
Taliban condemned the operation as aggression and pledged an appropriate response amid worsening tensions.
- Who
- Pakistan conducted the strikes, while the Taliban reported civilian casualties and threatened retaliation.
- What
- Airstrikes hit areas in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Paktika provinces.
- When
- The strikes occurred early Monday, after a series of recent attacks and escalating tensions.
- Where
- Kunar’s Nurgal district and Paktika’s Barmal district, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
- Why
- Pakistan said it was targeting terrorist hideouts linked to attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa; the Taliban said the strikes targeted civilians and were meant to divert attention from Pakistan’s security problems.
Taliban and Civilian Accounts
Pakistan’s Government
Nature of the targets
Taliban and Civilian Accounts
The Taliban and residents said Pakistani forces struck civilian areas and innocent people in Kunar and Paktika.
Pakistan’s Government
Pakistan’s information ministry said the strikes were calibrated attacks on terrorist hideouts and safe havens.
Reported casualties
Taliban and Civilian Accounts
The Taliban reported three civilian deaths and four injuries in Kunar, while residents described destruction and condemned Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Government
Pakistan said 28 terrorists were killed, including at a reported suicide-bomber training center.
Reason for the strikes
Taliban and Civilian Accounts
The Taliban accused Pakistan’s military establishment of diverting attention from security failures inside Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Government
Pakistan linked the operation to recent terrorist attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and said it had the capability to eliminate such threats.
- Reported civilian deaths
- Three people—a woman and two men—were reported killed in Kunar.
- Reported injuries
- Four people were reported injured in Kunar’s Nurgal district.
- Paktika damage
- A house and a shop were damaged in Barmal district; no casualties were reported there.
- Pakistan’s claim
- Pakistan’s information ministry said 28 terrorists were killed.
- Recent Pakistani casualties
- Six Pakistani soldiers were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district before the strikes.
- Earlier attack in Kohat
- A September 18 attack reportedly killed 31 people and injured more than 100.
- United Nations figures
- The United Nations documented 57 Afghan civilian deaths and 342 injuries from Pakistan’s attacks between April and June.