Pakistan claims to have killed at least 70 militants in strikes along border with Afghanistan

Afghan defence ministry says it will deliver a ‘calculated response at an appropriate time’

Pakistan’s military claimed it killed at least 70 militants in strikes along the border with Afghanistan, targeting hideouts of militants responsible for recent attacks within the country.

Kabul swiftly rejected these claims, reporting civilian casualties.

Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan’s deputy interior minister, told Geo News that at least 70 militants had been killed, though he offered no immediate evidence. Pakistan’s state-run media later revised this figure upwards to 80 fatalities.

The Afghan defence ministry asserted that "various civilian areas" in the eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika had been hit, including a religious madrassa and multiple homes. Pakistani media reported that fighter jets bombed areas in Khogyani, Ghani Khil and Behsud districts of Nangarhar, along with Barmal district of Paktika during the early hours on Sunday.

The ministry condemned the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty, while Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the attacks "killed and wounded dozens, including women and children”. He dismissed Pakistan’s claim of 70 militant deaths as "inaccurate."

The defence ministry claimed it would deliver a “calculated response at an appropriate time”.

Mawlawi Fazl Rahman Fayyaz, the provincial director of the Afghan Red Crescent Society in Nangarhar, reported 18 people killed and several wounded.

Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, said the attacks on parts of Nangarhar and Paktika provinces reflect Pakistan’s “right” to defend its people against cross-border terrorism.

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry has summoned Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul to formally protest the strikes. In a statement, the ministry declared that protecting Afghanistan’s territory is the Islamic Emirate’s "Sharia responsibility" and warned that Pakistan would be held accountable for the consequences of such actions.

The Afghan Defence Ministry condemned the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty (AP)

On Sunday, villagers in Nangarhar were seen clearing rubble, while mourners prepared for funerals. Habib Ullah, a local tribal elder, insisted that those killed were not militants. "They were poor people who suffered greatly. Those killed were neither (the) Taliban, nor military personnel, nor members of the former government. They lived simple village lives," he told The Associated Press.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated on X that the military conducted "intelligence-based, selective operations" against seven camps belonging to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and its affiliates, adding that an affiliate of the Islamic State group was also targeted. Mr Tarar affirmed that Pakistan "has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region," but underscored that the safety and security of Pakistani citizens remained a paramount priority.

India condemned Pakistan's airstrikes inside Afghanistan, calling them an attempt to deflect from Islamabad's domestic shortcomings. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also reiterated support for Kabul's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“India strongly condemns Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory that have resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children, during the holy month of Ramadan. It is another attempt by Pakistan to externalise its internal failures," Mr Jaiswal said.

Militant violence has seen a significant surge in Pakistan in recent years, with much of it attributed to the TTP and outlawed Baloch separatist groups. The TTP, while separate, is closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban. Islamabad accuses the TTP of operating from within Afghanistan, a charge both the group and Kabul deny.

The Afghan Defence Ministry condemned the strikes as a violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and sovereignty (AP)

The Pakistani strikes followed a suicide bombing just hours earlier, which targeted a security convoy in the border district of Bannu in Pakistan’s northwest, killing two soldiers, including a lieutenant colonel. Pakistan’s military had warned after the attack that it would not "exercise any restraint" and would press on with operations against those responsible.

Last week, another suicide bomber, supported by gunmen, rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a security post in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing 11 soldiers and a child. Pakistani authorities later identified the attacker as an Afghan national.

Mr Tarar asserted that Pakistan possessed "conclusive evidence" that recent attacks, including a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that killed 31 worshippers earlier this month, were carried out by militants acting on the "behest of their Afghanistan-based leadership and handlers."

He claimed Pakistan had repeatedly urged Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to take verifiable steps to prevent militant groups from using Afghan territory to launch attacks in Pakistan, but alleged that no substantive action had been taken. Mr Tarar also called on the international community to pressure Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to uphold their commitments under the Doha agreement not to allow their soil to be used against other countries.

In Islamabad, security analyst Abdullah Khan suggested that the Pakistani strikes indicate that Qatari, Turkish, and even Saudi-led mediations have failed to resolve tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. "These strikes are likely to further escalate the situation," he warned.

A Qatari-mediated ceasefire between the two countries was established after deadly border clashes in October, which resulted in dozens of casualties among soldiers, civilians, and suspected militants.

That violence followed explosions in Kabul that Afghan officials blamed on Pakistan, prompting Islamabad to conduct strikes deep inside Afghanistan targeting militant hideouts. While the truce between Islamabad and Kabul has largely held, several rounds of talks in Istanbul in November failed to yield a formal agreement, leaving relations strained.