Ask Onix
Overnight strikes target alleged militant camps
Pakistan launched air strikes on Afghan territory early Sunday, hitting what Islamabad described as seven militant hideouts near the shared border. The Taliban government reported dozens of civilian deaths and injuries, including women and children, in the attacks.
Casualties and condemnation
Afghanistan's Taliban-led defense ministry stated the strikes struck civilian homes and a religious school in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces. Local officials in Nangarhar told the BBC that a single strike on a residence belonging to a man named Shahabuddin killed approximately 20 family members.
The Taliban condemned the attacks as a "blatant violation of Afghanistan's territorial integrity" and a breach of international law. A statement on X warned of a "measured response at a suitable time," accusing Pakistan's military of intelligence and security failures.
Islamabad cites retaliation for recent bombings
Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the strikes were "intelligence-based selective targeting" of militant camps linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K). The ministry framed the operation as a "retributive response" to recent suicide bombings in Pakistan, including an attack on a Shia mosque in Islamabad earlier this month.
Islamabad accused the Afghan Taliban of harboring militants and providing sanctuary for attacks on Pakistani soil, claiming "conclusive evidence" that recent bombings were directed by leadership based in Afghanistan.
Fragile ceasefire under strain
The strikes follow a tentative ceasefire agreed in October after deadly border clashes, though sporadic fighting has persisted. The agreement came after Saudi Arabia mediated the release of three Pakistani soldiers captured in Kabul during last year's clashes, marking the worst violence since the Taliban regained power in 2021.
The two countries share a 1,600-mile (2,574 km) mountainous border, a frequent flashpoint for tensions over militant activity and cross-border movements.
International and regional context
The Taliban's defense ministry argued that attacks on civilian and religious sites reflected Pakistan's inability to counter militancy through intelligence and security measures. Islamabad, meanwhile, has repeatedly urged Kabul to take action against groups it accuses of orchestrating attacks from Afghan soil.
"Attacks on civilian targets and religious institutions indicate the failure of Pakistan's army in intelligence and security."
Taliban Defense Ministry
