Tuesday, September 22, 2026 - Pakistan has carried out fresh airstrikes inside Afghanistan, with Islamabad saying the attacks killed 28 militants in the border region.
Pakistani officials said the strikes targeted suspected militant hideouts in the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Kunar after a series of deadly attacks against Pakistani security forces.
The Afghan Taliban government, however, said at least three civilians were killed and four others injured in Kunar. The United Nations confirmed the civilian deaths.
The strikes have sharply increased tensions between Kabul and Islamabad, ending nearly three months of relative calm along the border. Afghanistan condemned the attacks as aggression and said it would respond, while Pakistan maintains that armed groups operating from Afghan territory are responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.
The latest escalation follows a deadly attack on a police facility in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and other clashes near the Afghan border.
The renewed confrontation is raising concerns about further cross-border fighting as both governments remain locked in a dispute over militant activity. Pakistan says its military action is aimed at terrorist groups and their safe havens, while Afghanistan denies allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.
With civilian casualties now confirmed and Kabul warning of a response, attention is turning to whether the latest strikes will trigger another sustained escalation between the two neighbours.
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