Pakistan operates airstrikes in Afghanistan

Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Paktika, according to officials from Afghanistan’s Taliban government. At least three civilians were killed and several others injured in the strikes conducted around midnight and at dawn on Monday (September 21).

Afghan news agency Khaama Press reported that the strikes came amid ongoing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over border security and the presence of armed groups.

Taliban officials said Pakistani fighter jets carried out an airstrike in Nurgal district of Kunar province around 2:30am on Monday. The strike targeted a house in Patan village, killing three civilians and injuring several others, according to local authorities.

About one and a half hours later, at around 4am, a second round of airstrikes was reportedly carried out in Barmal district of Paktika province. Taliban-linked media reported that an abandoned shop in Tor Kandi and an abandoned house in Rakhay were destroyed in the strikes. No casualties were reported from those locations.

Pakistan’s military had not publicly commented on the airstrikes as of Monday morning.

Pakistan has stepped up military operations against armed groups following an increase in deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Islamabad accuses Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also referred to by Pakistani authorities as “Fitna al-Khawarij”, of carrying out militant activities in Pakistan from safe havens inside Afghanistan. The Taliban has repeatedly denied the allegation.

A day before the airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s military said six soldiers, including two officers, were killed in intense clashes with militants in Hangu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistani authorities have also linked militants based in Afghanistan to several recent attacks in Kohat.

Airstrikes along the border have been a major source of tension between the two countries since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Pakistan has previously carried out strikes in Afghanistan’s eastern border provinces, saying they targeted militant infrastructure used by the TTP and allied groups.

Taliban officials have condemned previous Pakistani airstrikes, calling them violations of Afghanistan’s sovereignty. They have also accused Islamabad of targeting civilians rather than militant hideouts. Pakistan, however, says it is exercising its right to self-defence against groups carrying out attacks on its territory.

The latest strikes could further strain already tense relations between Kabul and Islamabad, as both sides continue to trade accusations over security conditions and the presence of armed groups along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

-MT