Pakistan’s cross-border airstrikes on Afghanistan leaves over 80 people dead

According to Geo News, based on Islamabad security sources, more than 80 people were killed in Pakistan’s air strikes on seven points in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Potika and Khost provinces.

Pakistan has carried out several attacks in the region in response to recent suicide attacks that they blame on Afghanistan.

The targeted locations reportedly included “New Center No. 1 and New Center No. 2 in Nangarhar, Khwariji Maulvi Abbas Center in Khost, Khwariji Islamic Center and Khwariji Ibrahim Center in Nangarhar, and Khwariji Mullah Rahbar and Khwariji Mukhlis Yar in Pktika.”

Earlier, Pakistani Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said that around 70 militants were “neutralized” in the cross-border operation.

The government stated that the attacks targeted camps belonging to Fitnah al-Hawarij, a term used by Pakistani authorities for the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, its affiliates, and the Islamic State – Khorasan Province (Daesh-Khorasan).

Speaking to Geo News program “Geo Pakistan”, Chaudhry claimed that Afghanistan has become a source of cross-border militancy. Stating that Pakistan has taken the necessary measures to protect its citizens, he emphasized that approximately 70,000 intelligence-based operations have been carried out domestically, resulting in many arrests.

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting described the attacks as “precise and accurate” and said they were a retaliatory response to recent suicide attacks in Islamabad, Bajaur and Bannu. Islamabad claimed that the attacks were carried out by rulers in Afghanistan and were linked to TTP and ISIS elements.

It was reported that the attacks targeted hiding places in the Barmal district of Pktika province, the Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, as well as the Ghani Khel, Behsud and Argoon districts.

Chaudhry also referred to the 2020 Doha Agreement and stated that the Afghan Taliban promised not to allow Afghan lands to be used for terrorism. He claimed that Kabul’s interim government had failed to curb militant activities.

He added that Pakistan was making efforts at diplomatic and military levels to address security concerns and called on political parties to unite against terrorism.
The latest strikes come in the wake of increased violence in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have increased in recent years, especially since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

In October 2025, border clashes between Pakistani forces and Afghan Taliban fighters reportedly resulted in significant casualties on both sides. Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, both countries have struggled to permanently de-escalate tensions.

Meanwhile, Kabul had previously rejected Islamabad’s claims that militant groups were operating on Afghan soil and maintained that Pakistan’s security problems were an internal matter.

The situation on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border remains tense with ongoing accusations and counter-accusations between the two neighbours.