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// DOSSIER — pakistan-cross-border-airstrikes-afghanistan-tensions
Pakistan Cross-Border Airstrikes in Afghanistan and Resulting Tensions
REL_TIME: 23 Sep 2026 02:12Z · LANG: EN
Pakistan's security forces carried out airstrikes and intelligence-based ground operations in Afghanistan's border regions, including Kunar and Paktika provinces, claiming to have killed 28 militants and multiple suicide bombers. The strikes followed a series of deadly domestic attacks in Pakistan, including a suicide bombing at a police facility in Kohat that killed 31 people and a clash in Hangu that killed six soldiers. Afghan authorities and UNAMA reported that the airstrikes killed three civilians—including a man, woman, and child belonging to a single family—and wounded four others. The Afghan Taliban condemned the operations as a violation of national sovereignty and threatened an appropriate response, while denying accusations that Afghan territory is used as a base for cross-border militancy.
// Background
Relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban government have steadily deteriorated over Islamabad's persistent accusations that the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups utilize Afghan soil to stage attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul consistently denies these claims. The latest strikes follow a major surge in domestic violence inside Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, including a deadly assault on a police facility in Kohat and clashes in Hangu.
// Key Developments
- Pakistan military launched air and ground operations targeting militant hideouts, claiming 28 insurgents were killed.
- Afghan officials and UNAMA confirmed that Pakistani airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika provinces killed three civilians and injured four others.
- The strikes occurred following a deadly suicide attack on a police compound in Kohat that killed 31 people and an ambush in Hangu that killed six Pakistani soldiers.
- The Taliban administration strongly condemned the strikes as a violation of sovereignty and warned of a decisive response.
- UNAMA reported that over 1,100 civilian casualties have resulted from cross-border armed violence between Afghanistan and Pakistan so far in 2026.
// Timeline
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A suicide car bomber and gunmen attack a police compound and mosque in Kohat, Pakistan, killing at least 31 people.
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Six Pakistani soldiers are killed in clashes with militants in Hangu district; Pakistan's Information Ministry warns of potential targeted strikes inside Afghanistan.
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Pakistani fighter jets execute airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, resulting in 3 civilian deaths according to Kabul and UNAMA, while Pakistan claims 28 militants were killed.
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The Afghan Foreign Ministry summons Pakistan's chargé d’affaires to lodge a formal protest, and Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid warns of an appropriate response.
// Perspectives
[Pakistan Government and Military]
Defends the airstrikes as necessary retaliatory and counter-terrorism measures against TTP ('Fitna al-Khawarij') safe havens in Afghanistan, asserting that maximum precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties.
[Afghan Taliban Government]
Strongly condemns the airstrikes as a violation of Afghan sovereignty, denies that Afghan territory is used by militants against Pakistan, and warns of an appropriate, forceful response.
[United Nations (UNAMA)]
Expressed deep concern over rising casualties, confirming that cross-border violence and airstrikes have caused over 1,100 civilian casualties in 2026 and calling for strict adherence to international humanitarian law.
// Quotes
“Based on credible intelligence, selective targeting of terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al Khawarij and its affiliates has also been carried out in the border region with Afghanistan with precision and accuracy.”
“We condemn this aggression and oppression, regarding it as a repetition of such crimes. Pakistani military circles have once again committed such a crime to divert attention from their country’s security failures. The Afghans will give a fitting response to this, God willing.”
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan regards these attacks as a clear violation of Afghanistan’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemns them in the strongest terms.”
