Pakistan conducts ground and air strikes in Afghanistan, dozens killed

Pakistan's government announced that on Sunday it carried out ground operations and airstrikes along the border with Afghanistan, targeting what it described as terrorist hideouts used by the Taliban and the Taliban Movement of Pakistan in the Afghan provinces of Paktiya, Paktika and Kunar. The strikes destroyed three targets and the Pakistani interior minister said the attacks were a response to recent terrorist incidents inside Pakistan, including an assault on Karats that killed three security personnel.

The de‑facto Afghan authorities, citing AFP, said the raids killed dozens of civilians – at least 35 according to Afghan television – and injured around 40 more. Pakistan, a nuclear‑armed state, and Afghanistan, now ruled by the Taliban since August 2021, have exchanged cross‑border attacks since late 2022, each accusing the other of harboring militants.

The latest escalation follows a tentative cease‑fire that ended in February, after which Pakistan declared an "open war" and has intensified high‑intensity air attacks, even targeting the Afghan capital, Kabul.