Pakistan Kills 26 Militants in Afghan Border Airstrikes
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced the operations in a statement posted to X, saying Pakistani security forces had struck militant hideouts along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in direct response to recent attacks carried out on Pakistani soil.
Tarar described the strikes as "precise and calibrated," stating that four targets were destroyed in the operation: a training center, a hideout, an ammunition cache, and militant compounds linked to two named commanders — Aleem Khan Khushali and Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel.
Framing the operation as a defensive necessity, Tarar struck a measured diplomatic tone. "Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time the safety and security of our citizens remains our top priority," he said.
Kabul Fires Back
Afghanistan's government offered a starkly different account of the night's events. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed that Pakistani military aircraft violated Afghan airspace, alleging the strikes killed 13 civilians — among them 11 children — across the eastern provinces of Kunar, Khost and Paktika.
The conflicting narratives threaten to reignite bilateral tensions that have barely cooled since February, when Pakistan carried out strikes against alleged Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts in eastern Afghanistan. Kabul has consistently denied harbouring the group on its territory.
The two neighbours subsequently pulled back from the brink, agreeing to a ceasefire following deadly border clashes in March and later sitting down for China-mediated talks in Urumqi aimed at stabilising the border and rebuilding frayed bilateral ties.
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