Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Monday, September 21, in a fresh escalation between the two neighbouring countries, with Afghan authorities saying three civilians were killed and four others injured.
The strikes targeted areas in Afghanistan’s eastern provinces of Kunar and Paktika, according to Afghan officials. In Kunar’s Nurgal district, a house was destroyed, killing three members of the same family and injuring four relatives, Afghan deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said.
Fitrat said the strikes also hit two locations in Barmal district of Paktika province. He said a shop and an unoccupied house were destroyed, but no casualties were reported in those attacks.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes and warned that Afghanistan would respond. “The Afghan side will respond appropriately to this aggression,” Mujahid said, according to Reuters.
Pakistan gave a different account of the operation. Its Information Ministry said airstrikes on three targets in Afghanistan had killed 28 people it described as “terrorists” and suicide bombers. The ministry did not provide further details about the locations or identities of those killed.
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The conflicting casualty claims have not been independently verified. Pakistan’s military had not immediately issued a separate statement on Monday’s strikes, according to the Associated Press.
The latest military action follows a series of deadly attacks in Pakistan. On Friday, militants attacked a police facility in the northwestern city of Kohat, killing at least 21 people and wounding more than 100, according to Pakistani officials cited by the Associated Press. On Sunday, six Pakistani security personnel, including two army officers, were killed in a separate exchange of fire with militants in Hangu district near the Afghan border.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan territory and launch attacks into Pakistan. Afghan authorities deny the allegations and maintain that militancy inside Pakistan is an internal matter for Islamabad.
The latest strikes threaten to further damage relations between the two countries after months of military tensions. Pakistan and Afghanistan have previously experienced major cross-border fighting, including airstrikes, drone attacks and artillery exchanges.
Pakistan’s government had warned over the weekend that it could target militants inside Afghanistan following recent attacks on its security forces. The country’s Information Ministry said Pakistan had the “will and capability” to eliminate what it described as terrorist threats and called on Afghan authorities to take measures against militant groups operating from Afghan territory.
The renewed violence has raised concerns about another escalation along the border. For now, however, the two governments continue to give different accounts of Monday’s strikes and their casualties.
The situation remains closely watched as Afghanistan considers its response and Pakistan maintains pressure on Afghan authorities over alleged cross-border militant activity.
