IRIA News

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Pakistan conducted airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan on September 21, 2026. Islamabad claimed that its strikes targeted militant hideouts linked to recent attacks inside Pakistan.

Pakistani officials said the strikes killed 28 militants, while Afghan authorities and the United Nations reported that at least three civilians were killed and four others injured.

The strikes targeted areas in Afghanistan’s Kunar and Paktika provinces near the border, according to Pakistani and Afghan officials.

The operation marked another escalation in tensions between Pakistan and the Taliban government in Kabul over militant groups operating along the border.

Strikes Targeting Militants

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the airstrikes were part of a planned, intelligence-driven response to recent terrorist attacks in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The ministry described the strikes as “calibrated” and said they targeted militant hideouts, including what it identified as a suicide bombing center and a weapons and ammunition depot. Pakistan’s military did not immediately provide a separate public statement on the operation.

A Pakistani official said the strikes were carried out in Paktika and Kunar provinces, which border Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistan Airforce Targeted the Only House in Area, Eliminating atleast 11 Terrorists in Kunar, Afghanistan.

That Particular House was a TTP Training Camp, and was also used to Train Terrorists for Kohat Attack. https://t.co/vhpd0C6jIB pic.twitter.com/Ew0paRwXsP

— Armed Forces Update (@ArmedUpdat1947) September 21, 2026

The Afghan Taliban reported a different toll. Deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said a house in Kunar’s Nurgal district was hit, killing three members of the same family and injuring four others.

He also said two locations in Paktika’s Barmal district were struck, destroying a shop and an unoccupied house. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed the deaths of three civilians, identifying them as a man, a woman and a girl. It also reported four people injured.

Strikes After Deadly Attacks in Pakistan

The Pakistani operation came after several deadly militant attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. On September 18, a suicide bomber attacked a mosque inside a police compound in Kohat. The bombing was followed by an assault by several gunmen who attempted to enter the security complex, leading to a standoff that lasted about 20 hours.

Pakistani officials reported that at least 24 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the attack, although casualty figures have varied among reports.

The police compound houses security and intelligence units, including Pakistan’s Special Branch and Counter Terrorism Department, which are responsible for operations against militant groups in the region.

The attack was claimed by the Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen, also referred to as Ittehad ul Mujahideen Pakistan, an alliance of militant factions led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.

The group was formed in 2025 by factions that split from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban. A day after the Kohat attack, six Pakistani security personnel were killed during fighting with militants in neighboring Hangu district.

Pakistani authorities said eight militants were also killed in the clash. The soldiers were conducting operations against militants in the area near the Afghan border.

Dispute Over Militant Sanctuaries

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban of allowing militant groups, particularly the TTP and allied organizations, to operate from Afghan territory.

Islamabad says militants based in Afghanistan have used safe havens, training facilities and other networks to organize attacks inside Pakistan.

The Afghan Taliban denies the accusations and has repeatedly said that militancy inside Pakistan is an internal security problem. The Taliban government also rejects Pakistan’s justification for carrying out military operations inside Afghanistan.

Following the latest strikes, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the operation and said Afghanistan would respond. Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul and lodged a formal protest.

The ministry described the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and again rejected accusations that attacks inside Pakistan originate from Afghan territory. Mujahid said Pakistan should not attribute its internal security problems to Afghanistan.

Civilian Casualties and Cross-Border Violence

The reported civilian deaths have added another point of tension between the two governments. UNAMA said it had documented more than 1,100 civilian deaths and injuries in Afghanistan from cross-border violence during 2026.

The United Nations has repeatedly called on both sides to respect international humanitarian law and take steps to prevent civilian casualties.

Afghan officials said the three civilians killed in the latest strikes were members of the same family. The reported casualties could further complicate efforts to reduce tensions along the border, where military exchanges have increased since the beginning of the year.

Pakistan faces several separate militant threats, with the TTP remaining one of the main groups carrying out attacks against security forces and government targets. The country is also dealing with an insurgency by Baloch militant groups, particularly in areas along its western and southwestern borders.

The TTP and other militant factions have increased attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in recent years. Pakistan has linked many of these attacks to militants operating from Afghanistan.

The Shura Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen is a newer militant alliance. Its leader, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, has longstanding connections to militant networks in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. The group previously focused heavily on attacks against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan before its activities increasingly turned toward Pakistan.

The United Nations has also reported that Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, formed the backbone of the militant alliance. The group did not condemn the Kohat attack itself but criticized the decision to target a mosque, saying places of worship should not be attacked.

Risk of Further Cross-Border Fighting

The latest airstrikes come after months of military tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The two sides exchanged airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery fire earlier in 2026, with hundreds of people reported killed during periods of fighting.

The latest operation ended a period of relative calm between the two countries and has raised concerns about another cycle of cross-border attacks.

The Taliban has warned that it will respond to Pakistan’s military actions, while Islamabad has repeatedly said it will act against militant groups it believes are operating from Afghan territory.

Regional countries, including China, have sought to encourage dialogue between Islamabad and Kabul. However, the central disagreement over militant sanctuaries remains unresolved.

Pakistan wants the Taliban government to take stronger action against groups that carry out attacks inside Pakistan. Kabul, meanwhile, rejects accusations that it provides militant groups with permission to use Afghan territory for attacks.

The dispute leaves both governments facing pressure from militant violence while also increasing the risk that attacks inside one country will lead to military action across the border.

For now, the latest strikes have brought the Pakistan-Afghanistan security dispute back into focus, with both sides maintaining opposing positions over the presence and activities of militant groups along their shared border.