Pakistan–Afghanistan Border Tensions Escalate: Taliban Claims Retaliatory Strikes After Pakistani Airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar

Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announced in a post on X that Pakistani forces had carried out bombings in parts of Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia.

Mr. Mujahid wrote: “Cowardly Pakistani forces bombed several locations in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia, but thanks be to God, there were no casualties.”

The Taliban government spokesperson also announced the resumption of “large-scale retaliatory operations” against Pakistani military centers.

On his X social media account, Zabihullah Mujahid wrote: “Following the airstrikes in Kabul, Kandahar, and other provinces, large-scale retaliatory operations have once again begun against Pakistani military centers along the Kandahar and Helmand axis.”

The operation resumed just hours after Pakistani military aircraft targeted several provinces, including Kabul, and eyewitnesses reported hearing multiple explosions following the attacks.

Clashes between Pakistani soldiers and Taliban government forces began late Thursday night, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other.

In a message on X, Mr. Mujahid said the attack was carried out in response to “repeated provocations and violations” by the Pakistani military.

Reports from the eastern provinces of Nuristan, Kunar, Nangarhar, and the southeastern provinces of Paktia and Paktika indicate that Taliban government forces attacked Pakistani border guard posts.

A military official of the Taliban government in eastern Afghanistan said the attacks began at 8 p.m. local time on Thursday.

In a message on the X network, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information wrote: “The Afghan Taliban miscalculated and, without any prior provocation, opened fire at multiple locations along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, to which Pakistani security forces responded immediately and effectively.”

Islamabad regularly accuses Kabul of providing safe havens to militants, an allegation the Taliban deny.

The escalation comes after Islamabad launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan following several deadly suicide attacks on its territory.

The Taliban government said a few days earlier that late-night Pakistani airstrikes killed and injured dozens of people, including women and children. The Taliban condemned the attacks, saying multiple homes and a religious school were targeted.

According to the Taliban Ministry of Defense, the Pakistani strikes targeted “civilian areas” in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces.

Al Jazeera has also confirmed civilian casualties.

The Taliban Ministry of Defense condemned what it called a “blatant violation of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity” and a “clear violation of international law,” warning that “at an appropriate time, these Pakistani attacks will receive an appropriate and severe response.”

The Ministry of Defense also stated: “Attacks on civilian targets and religious institutions indicate the failure of the Pakistani military in the fields of intelligence and security.”

In this regard, Pakistan said it had targeted seven camps and hideouts allegedly linked to militants near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Pakistani officials said they targeted objectives belonging to Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and ISIS-Khorasan, adding that the strikes were a “retaliatory response” to recent suicide bombings in Pakistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,574-kilometer mountainous border.



Confirmation from Pakistan regarding airstrikes in Pakistan allegedly carried out by the Afghan Taliban





After claims by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense about airstrikes on various areas of Pakistan, Pakistani authorities confirmed drone incidents in the country.

Pakistan’s Minister of Information, Atta Tarar, wrote on Twitter: “(Fitna al-Khawarij) terrorists attempted to launch small drones in Abbottabad, Swabi, and Nowshera.”

He said: “The anti-drone system shot down all the drones and there have been no reports of casualties.”

He added: “These incidents once again demonstrate the direct link between the Afghan Taliban government and terrorism in Pakistan.”

One of the incidents occurred in the Swabi area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where reports indicate a small drone crashed.

Authorities said the drone crashed near a school.

Swabi District Police Officer Waqar Rafiq said that although the drone crashed near a residential area, it did not cause significant damage, and it appears the school was not directly targeted.

In a post from the official account of the Taliban Ministry of Defense, it was claimed that around 11 p.m. they bombed a military camp near Faizabad in Islamabad, Pakistan, and targeted military camps in Nowshera and Abbottabad. The attacks were said to have successfully hit their targets.

The Taliban said these attacks were carried out in response to Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory.