Taliban Claims Pakistani Airstrikes Kill 4 Civilians Amid Rising Tensions

Kabul/Islamabad: Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated further on Thursday after the Taliban government claimed that Pakistani airstrikes in several Afghan provinces killed four civilians.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aircraft carried out strikes in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost, describing the action as aggression against Afghanistan and warning that Kabul would deliver an "appropriate response".

Pakistan, meanwhile, said its forces had carried out precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 targets in Afghanistan. Pakistani officials said the locations were linked to the launch or storage of drones that had been used against Pakistan.

Taliban reports civilian deaths

According to the Taliban government, four civilians were killed in the latest strikes.

Mujahid said the attacks targeted several areas and accused Pakistan of violating Afghan sovereignty. The Taliban administration has repeatedly rejected Islamabad's allegation that militant groups responsible for attacks inside Pakistan operate from Afghan territory.

The latest claim follows another round of Pakistani airstrikes earlier this week in eastern Afghanistan. On September 21, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan confirmed that at least three civilians were killed and four injured in apparent airstrikes in Kunar province.

Pakistan says targets were linked to drone attacks

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the latest strikes were "deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate" and were restricted to what Islamabad described as military objectives directly linked to attacks against Pakistan.

Reuters reported that Pakistan said the targets included sites used to launch and store drones. Islamabad has accused the Taliban authorities of allowing militant groups to maintain sanctuaries on Afghan territory.

The Taliban government denies the accusation and has maintained that Pakistan's security problems are an internal matter.

Kandahar among areas targeted

The latest strikes are particularly significant because Kandahar is the traditional power base of the Taliban and the seat of its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Local residents told AFP they heard a jet followed by a large explosion and saw a fire in Kandahar.

Pakistan's latest operation also reportedly targeted locations in Paktia and Khost. Afghan officials said Pakistani aircraft struck the 203rd Mansouri Corps in Paktia, while Khost authorities reported strikes without civilian casualties there.

Why are Pakistan and Afghanistan fighting?

Relations between the two neighbours have deteriorated sharply over Pakistan's accusations that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and allied militant groups operate from Afghan territory.

Islamabad has repeatedly demanded that Kabul prevent these groups from launching attacks into Pakistan.

The Taliban government denies harbouring anti-Pakistan militants and has instead accused Islamabad of violating Afghanistan's sovereignty through cross-border attacks.

The two sides have previously experienced border clashes, airstrikes and drone attacks, with diplomatic efforts failing to produce a lasting settlement.

Tensions follow deadly attacks inside Pakistan

The latest escalation comes after a series of deadly militant attacks in Pakistan.

A major attack on a police compound in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, last week killed at least 31 people, including police personnel, according to reports. A militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has linked militant violence in its northwestern region to groups operating from or receiving support in Afghanistan, allegations rejected by the Taliban government.

The latest strikes also follow fighting near the Afghan-Pakistan border that reportedly killed Pakistani soldiers and militants.

UN warns about civilian impact

The United Nations has expressed concern over the civilian consequences of cross-border violence.

UNAMA said earlier this week that more than 1,100 civilian casualties, including deaths and injuries, had been recorded in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2026 as a result of cross-border armed violence. The UN has urged all sides to respect international humanitarian law and take steps to protect civilians.

The latest competing accounts underline the difficulty of independently establishing the full civilian and military toll immediately after cross-border strikes.

Taliban promises a response

The Taliban government has condemned the latest strikes and said it would respond.

Mujahid described the Pakistani action as aggression, while the Taliban Foreign Ministry has previously summoned Pakistan's chargé d'affaires and lodged formal protests over airstrikes on Afghan territory.

Pakistan, for its part, has maintained that its military operations are aimed at militant infrastructure responsible for attacks against the country.

With both governments maintaining sharply different accounts of the conflict and its causes, the latest airstrikes add another layer of uncertainty to efforts to reduce tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.