Islamabad, October 1: Pakistan on Thursday said its forces carried out airstrikes on militant positions inside Afghanistan, claiming that 22 terrorists were killed in the operation targeting alleged hideouts of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The strikes come amid a renewed deterioration in relations between Islamabad and Kabul, with both sides accusing each other of allowing or supporting cross-border militant activity. Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities disputed Pakistan’s account, saying the strikes killed nine Afghan civilians, including women and children.
Pakistan’s Information Ministry said the military action was based on intelligence regarding TTP camps and safe havens at two locations in Afghanistan. It described the operation as “well-planned and calibrated” and said the targets were selected after intelligence assessments.
According to the ministry, the strikes destroyed militant positions along with stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. Pakistan said preliminary information indicated that 22 militants had been killed.
The government maintained that the operation was directed specifically at militant infrastructure and that precautions were taken to prevent civilian casualties.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Afghan Taliban administration of providing space to the TTP and other armed groups that Islamabad says use Afghan territory to organise attacks inside Pakistan. The Pakistani government has made counterterrorism operations a central part of its response to the continuing security threat.
The Information Ministry said Pakistan’s priority remained the safety of its citizens while reiterating its stated commitment to regional peace and stability. It also said the country’s counterterrorism campaign, Ghazab lil Haq, would continue with the objective of eliminating militant networks.
The Taliban government rejected Pakistan’s account of the operation. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aircraft struck areas in Kunar and Helmand provinces.
Mujahid said the attacks killed nine Afghan civilians, including women and children, injured 11 people and destroyed three homes. He condemned the strikes as an act of aggression and described them as a violation of accepted principles.
The conflicting accounts could not immediately be independently reconciled.
The latest confrontation adds to a series of disputes between the neighbouring countries over militancy and border security. Islamabad has for months maintained that armed groups operating from Afghanistan are responsible for attacks inside Pakistan.
Pakistani officials have particularly focused on the TTP, an armed group that has carried out attacks against Pakistani security personnel and civilians. Islamabad has demanded that Kabul take action against the group’s leadership and prevent its territory from being used for attacks against Pakistan.
The Afghan Taliban has consistently rejected allegations that it permits its territory to be used to launch attacks against neighbouring countries. Kabul has instead called for dialogue to address security concerns and has objected to Pakistani military operations inside Afghanistan.
The disagreement has complicated relations between the two countries, which share a long and frequently disputed border. Cross-border militant activity and security operations have also contributed to tensions affecting movement and trade between the two sides.
Pakistan’s latest strikes indicate that Islamabad continues to view militant infrastructure in Afghanistan as a direct security concern. Kabul’s reported civilian casualty figures, meanwhile, have added another point of contention between the two governments.
The situation remains sensitive as both sides attempt to manage security concerns while avoiding further escalation. The competing claims over the casualties and targets are likely to remain a focus of diplomatic discussions between Islamabad and Kabul.
The latest developments also underscore the broader challenge facing the region as Pakistan seeks to curb attacks attributed to militants based across the border, while the Taliban administration seeks to reject accusations that Afghanistan is being used as a base for violence against neighbouring states.