Pakistan said on Monday it had carried out overnight airstrikes and ground operations in eastern Afghanistan, targeting militant hideouts linked to the deadly weekend attack on a Rangers paramilitary headquarters in Karachi. Afghan authorities, however, accused Islamabad of killing dozens of civilians and condemned the operation as a violation of its sovereignty.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said security forces killed 25 militants during the cross-border operation, which focused on Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban (TTP). He said the offensive was launched in response to Saturday’s attack on the Rangers’ regional headquarters in Karachi, where three paramilitary personnel were killed after gunmen stormed the facility following an explosion.
Tarar said Pakistani forces first conducted ground operations along the border before launching precision airstrikes against three locations in the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar.
“Three targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar were destroyed during precision strikes,” Tarar said, adding that the operation was aimed solely at militant camps and safe havens used by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar fighters.
The Taliban-led government in Kabul rejected Pakistan’s account of the operation, saying the strikes mainly hit civilian areas. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid described the attacks as a “cowardly act of aggression” and repeated Afghanistan’s position that its territory is not being used to shelter militants targeting neighbouring countries.
The latest military action marks another escalation in already strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Tensions have remained high since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021, with both countries exchanging accusations over cross-border militancy.
Pakistan maintains that militant groups responsible for attacks inside its territory operate from Afghan soil, an allegation consistently denied by Kabul. Afghan officials have instead accused Pakistan of causing civilian casualties through repeated cross-border operations.
The two countries agreed to a ceasefire in March following weeks of intense fighting that erupted in February. Despite the truce, violence has continued along the border. Afghan officials said Pakistani strikes earlier this month killed 13 people, while the United Nations has reported that previous military operations displaced tens of thousands of civilians and caused significant destruction.
International efforts led by countries including China have so far failed to secure a lasting settlement between the neighbours. Border crossings have remained largely closed since renewed clashes erupted last October, disrupting trade and travel while adding to tensions between the two countries.
