4 civilians killed as Pakistani forces launch airstrikes in Afghanistan

Pakistan carried out airstrikes and drone strikes early Thursday on multiple locations in Afghanistan, targeting sites it said were used to store and launch drones, according to Pakistani officials. Afghanistan’s Taliban government reported that the attacks killed four civilians and vowed an “appropriate response.”

Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the country’s air force conducted “precision aerial and drone strikes” against 10 locations in Afghanistan. He described the action as a response to drones that Pakistan said were launched from Afghan territory the previous day and neutralized by its air defenses before reaching targets. Tarar stated the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate” and limited to identified military objectives linked to the alleged drone activity. He warned of a firm response to any further provocative acts.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit Afghanistan’s Kandahar, Paktia, and Khost provinces. In an official statement, he reported that four Afghan civilians were killed and strongly condemned the attacks as “indiscriminate and cowardly,” calling them a “flagrant violation of all principles and a clear act of aggression and crime.” Mujahid rejected Pakistani claims that drones had crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan, accusing Islamabad of using the allegation to justify the strikes and divert attention from its internal problems. He assured Afghans that the Taliban would respond with a “decisive stance” and warned that such actions would provoke public anger and have adverse consequences for Pakistan.

The incident marks a further escalation in cross-border tensions between the two neighbors. Pakistan has repeatedly accused militant groups, including the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), of operating from Afghan soil to attack Pakistan—an allegation the Taliban has consistently denied. Similar Pakistani strikes occurred earlier this week in Kunar and Paktika provinces, and tensions have flared repeatedly in recent months.

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai also criticized the latest strikes, saying Pakistan was continuing a negative policy whose consequences were reaching its own doorstep, and called for good-neighborly relations.

Casualty figures and the precise nature of the targets remain disputed and have not been independently verified in full. Reports indicate the strikes affected both border areas and locations near Kandahar city. International mediation efforts between the two countries face growing challenges amid the renewed hostilities.