Pakistan Airstrikes Hit Afghanistan: 28 Militants Claimed Killed, 3 Civilians Reported Dead; Taliban Vows Response

September 21, 2026

Kabul/Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday confirmed carrying out airstrikes on suspected militant targets in Afghanistan, claiming that 28 militants, including multiple suicide bombers, were killed in strikes on three targets. Afghan Taliban authorities, however, said the attacks killed three civilians and injured four others in Kunar province. The competing casualty claims could not be independently verified.

The strikes were reported in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar and Paktika provinces, close to the Pakistan border, and mark a fresh escalation in tensions between the two neighbouring countries after nearly three months of relative calm.

Pakistan Says 28 Militants Killed in Three Targets

Pakistan’s Information Ministry said the strikes targeted camps and hideouts belonging to what it calls Fitna al-Khawarij and affiliated groups. The ministry said three targets were destroyed, including a training centre for suicide bombers, along with weapons and ammunition.

Pakistan said the airstrikes followed an intelligence-based ground operation in Kohat and Hangu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The ministry said nine militants were killed in the ground operation and several others were injured.

Islamabad has accused militant groups operating from Afghan territory of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan and has repeatedly called on the Taliban government in Kabul to act against such groups. Afghanistan has denied allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan.

Kabul Reports Civilian Deaths in Kunar

Afghan authorities gave a different account of the strikes. Taliban deputy government spokesperson Hamdullah Fitrat said a Pakistani strike in Nurgal district of Kunar hit a residential house at around 3 a.m., killing three members of a family and injuring four others.

Fitrat said two locations in Barmal district of Paktika were also hit. According to the Afghan account, a shop and an unoccupied house were damaged, but no casualties were reported there.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid condemned the strikes and said Afghanistan would respond to what Kabul described as an attack on its territory. He has rejected Pakistan’s allegations that Afghan territory is being used by militant groups to recruit, train and launch attacks against Pakistan.

UN Reports Earlier Civilian Toll From Cross-Border Violence

The latest strikes come against the backdrop of a broader pattern of cross-border violence. UNAMA documented 399 civilian casualties — 57 killed and 342 injured — in Afghanistan between April 1 and June 30, 2026 as a result of cross-border armed violence. It said all the documented casualties during that period were attributed to Pakistani security forces, with airstrikes and ground engagements among the leading causes of civilian harm.

For the January-March period, UNAMA documented more than 750 civilian deaths and injuries resulting from cross-border armed violence involving Afghan and Pakistani forces, with most casualties occurring during February and March.

The latest Pakistani strikes follow deadly attacks on Pakistani security personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Pakistan has blamed militants based in Afghanistan for such attacks, while the Taliban government has rejected the allegations, setting the stage for renewed tensions along the border.