Overnight airstrikes conducted by Pakistani forces have resulted in the death of at least 36 civilians, with more than 160 injured, according to Afghan officials on Monday. This incident has intensified the already strained relations between the neighboring countries.
Pakistani security forces launched a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late Sunday. The operation targeted militant hideouts and safe havens, reportedly killing 29 fighters, as stated by Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. These actions were described as a response to several militant attacks across Pakistan.
Afghanistan has strongly condemned the airstrikes, labeling them as a “cowardly act of aggression” and an “act of brutality.” Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, reported that Pakistani forces targeted a residence in Paktia province’s Chamkani district. An elderly man and a child were killed, and other family members were injured. After residents gathered to provide aid, a second strike occurred, resulting in 28 more deaths and 158 injuries.
In Giyan district, Paktika province, another airstrike killed six people, primarily women and children, upon hitting a village. A separate civilian home in Kunar province was also struck, leading to no human casualties but the death of approximately 30 livestock.
Militant attacks against Pakistan’s police and security forces have increased recently. The Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), along with allied militant groups, are blamed for much of the violence. Although separate, the Pakistani Taliban are allied with the Afghan Taliban, who regained power in Afghanistan in 2021.
The Pakistani military operation followed a militant attack in Karachi, which targeted the regional headquarters of the paramilitary Rangers. This attack killed three soldiers. Security forces responded by killing three attackers and arresting another, an Afghan national in wounded condition. Responsibility for the Karachi attack was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction that split from the Pakistani Taliban.
Recent cross-border strikes and ground operations escalated less than three weeks after Pakistan’s military carried out airstrikes on what were described as militant hideouts in Afghanistan. These actions ended a brief period of calm previously described by Islamabad as an “open war” with international attempts to achieve peace still ongoing.
The escalation follows months of military actions on both sides, with hundreds reportedly killed since February. Retaliatory strikes were launched by Afghanistan after Pakistan initiated airstrikes within Afghan territory. Despite multiple discussion rounds, a lasting ceasefire has not been achieved. In April, China hosted discussions between the two sides, resulting in an agreement not to escalate the conflict and to explore peaceful solutions.