Pakistan Confirms Deadly Airstrikes in Eastern Afghanistan Amid Civilian Casualty Claims
ISLAMABAD/KABUL — June 10, 2026 — Pakistan has confirmed conducting airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, June 9, targeting hideouts of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, as the Taliban-led government in Kabul accused Islamabad of killing at least 13 civilians — including 11 children, one woman and one elderly man — in the overnight bombardment.
The strikes, which hit Afghanistan’s provinces of Khost, Kunar and Paktika near the Pakistani border, mark a renewed escalation in tensions between the two neighbors and former allies after weeks of relative calm .
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Pakistan Confirms ‘Precise and Calibrated Strikes’
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the military operation, stating that the airstrikes were a direct response to a series of recent militant attacks inside Pakistan . According to a statement from Tarar, Pakistan carried out “precise and calibrated strikes” based on credible intelligence, selectively targeting camps and hideouts along the border region .
“Four targets were completely destroyed, including a training centre, a hideout, an ammunition cache and facilities linked to militant commanders Aleem Khan Khushali and Akhtar Muhammad Jani Khel,” Tarar said in a statement on X, adding that 26 members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed in the operation .
Tarar said the strikes were a response to a recent wave of militant attacks inside Pakistan, including an assault on a Federal Constabulary post in Musa Dara on June 8, a vehicle-borne suicide bomb attack on a military post in North Waziristan on June 2, and an attack on a police station in Bannu on May 9 .
A senior Pakistani diplomat also rejected allegations of civilian casualties in a right of reply at the United Nations Security Council on Monday, stating that Pakistan’s military actions, including those conducted in March, were “precise, deliberate, and professional” and that no hospital, drug rehabilitation centre, or civilian facility was targeted .
“No hospital or drug rehabilitation centre or civilian facility was targeted,” the ambassador told the UNSC, adding that video footage of all six strikes was promptly released showing secondary explosions consistent with ammunition storage sites .
Taliban Accuses Pakistan of Killing Children
Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid strongly condemned the strikes, saying on X that the Pakistani military had once again violated Afghan airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Khost, Kunar, and Paktika .
“Crime. Last night, the Pakistani army once again violated Afghan airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika,” Mujahid posted . “These attacks resulted in the deaths of 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man, with 14 others, including women and children, injured,” he said, adding that Afghanistan “strongly condemns this humanitarian crime and this aggression” .
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A tribal elder from Khost province, Haji Ali Khan, told Reuters that one of the airstrikes hit the home of a local shepherd after midnight, killing 10 people, including women and children, in a village in the province’s Spera district . “The family whose house was bombed are local villagers. They have no connection with the TTP, nor do they even know them,” he said .
Pakistan Accuses Afghanistan of Harboring Militants
The airstrikes come amid months of cross-border fighting that has killed hundreds since late February, when Afghanistan launched cross-border attacks on Pakistan in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes inside Afghan territory .
Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harboring militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistan, especially the TTP, which is separate from but allied with the Afghan Taliban . According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) project, militant attacks in Pakistan have risen fourfold since 2022 — the year after the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul . The Afghan Taliban has repeatedly denied these allegations, saying militancy in Pakistan is an internal Pakistani problem .
“Pakistan’s priority is ending attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, which Islamabad says operate from Afghan soil,” security analyst Masood Khan told the Associated Press . Khan said the solution to the tensions lies in enforcing a decree by Taliban leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada ordering the TTP to stop attacks on Pakistan. “That decree must be implemented sincerely and faithfully,” he said .
Diplomatic Tensions Escalate at the UN
The airstrikes also triggered a war of words at the United Nations Security Council. Exercising his right of reply during a Council discussion on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, firmly rejected allegations made by Afghanistan’s representative and launched a sharp critique of India’s position .
Ambassador Ahmad accused India of supporting terrorist groups such as the TTP and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) to destabilize Pakistan . He also questioned India’s “newfound love for the Taliban,” suggesting it was a policy shift timed to counter Pakistan’s counterterrorism operations .
Indian officials and Afghan representatives have not yet publicly responded to these specific accusations.
Humanitarian Impact and Regional Instability
The strikes have deepened the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which is already grappling with food insecurity, economic collapse, and the aftermath of decades of war. As of Wednesday night, the Taliban government had not announced any retaliatory military action, but Kabul has previously responded to Pakistani strikes by targeting Pakistani military posts along the frontier .
The international community continues to monitor the escalating tensions, with China having previously attempted to mediate a settlement to the conflict . With both sides accusing each other of violating sovereignty and supporting militant proxies, prospects for a rapid de-escalation appear uncertain. Analysts warn that continued cross-border violence could destabilize the region further and undermine hard-won security gains on both sides of the Durand Line.
SOURCES / INPUTS
- Associated Press of Pakistan: Pakistan hits back at Delhi and Kabul, says border strikes only targeted Taliban-backed terror hubs
- Amu TV: Pakistan confirms airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, claims 26 militants killed
- HUM News English: Pakistan hits back at Afghan, Indian claims in UNSC right of reply
- Arab News PK: Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13 people, official says
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