Pakistan Strikes 10 Targets in Afghanistan as Taliban Reports Civilian Deaths

Pakistan has carried out a new wave of air and drone strikes inside Afghanistan, with the Taliban government saying that four civilians were killed as tensions between the two neighbouring countries intensified. The strikes reportedly targeted areas in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces. Kandahar, the Taliban's traditional stronghold, was among the areas affected. Residents reported hearing aircraft followed by explosions and seeing fires.

Pakistan said its forces struck 10 locations, describing the operation as deliberate and limited to what it identified as military targets connected to attacks against Pakistan. Islamabad has accused militants operating from Afghan territory of threatening its security. The Taliban strongly condemned the strikes and warned that they would face an "appropriate response". Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid described the attacks as hostile and said they could have consequences for Pakistan.

Local officials reported damage to residential areas in Khost, while an Afghan official said a Taliban-controlled military facility in Paktia had also been hit. In Kunar province, the Taliban government reported civilian casualties, with the UN mission in Afghanistan confirming that at least three civilians were killed in one incident. The latest strikes follow a deadly attack on a police facility in north-western Pakistan on 18 September that killed at least 31 people. A group linked to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban government of allowing the TTP to operate from Afghan territory, an allegation Kabul rejects.

The confrontation has intensified despite a ceasefire agreed earlier this year. The UN previously reported that cross-border violence between Pakistani security forces and Taliban forces killed at least 499 civilians and injured more than 1,200 between October 2025 and June 2026. Both sides continue to accuse each other of escalating the conflict, while diplomatic efforts to establish a lasting settlement have so far failed to produce a durable resolution.