Pakistan carried out airstrikes in two Afghan provinces overnight on Wednesday, both countries said Thursday, with Afghanistan saying nine women and children were killed and another 11 civilians were wounded in the bombings. Pakistan's Ministry of Information said its strikes were against militant hideouts in two locations and that initial report suggests that 22 militants had been killed.
The strikes hit homes in the Chogam area of Shultan district in Kunar province and the safar area of Garmser district in Helmand province, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, Chief spokesperson for the Taliban-led Afghan administration. The airstrikes mark the latest escalation in cross-border tensions after three months of relative calm, following earlier Pakistani strikes in September that killed at least 31 people according to Afghan officials.
This is not the first round of Pakistani airstrikes in recent weeks. Earlier incidents occurred on 21 September 2026 when Pakistan conducted airstrikes on northeastern Afghanistan, targeting what it described as suicide bomber training facilities in Kunar and Paktika provinces. Pakistani said 28 militants were killed while the Taliban government claimed three civilians died in the strikes. The UNAMA confirmed the deaths of three civilians :a man, a woman and a girl.
On 24 Sep 2026, Pakistan said its air force struck 10 locations in Afghanistan that were being used to launch and store drones, some of which had been used against Pakistan a day earlier.
The two countries have presented sharply different accounts of the strikes:Pakistan’s position:Islamabad says it is targeting militant hideouts and training facilities used by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters who operate from Afghan territory and carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military says it has the right to defend itself against cross-border terrorism.
Afghanistan’s position:Kabul says the strikes hit civilian homes and killed innocent people, including women and children. The Taliban government has condemned the attacks as violations of Afghan sovereignty and accused Pakistan of targeting civilians rather than militants.
