Pakistan Launches Fresh Airstrikes Inside Afghanistan as Kabul Reports Civilian Deaths

Islamabad / Kabul — October 1, 2026 — Pakistan carried out fresh airstrikes inside Afghanistan early Thursday, targeting what Islamabad described as militant hideouts in Kunar and Helmand provinces. Pakistan said the operation killed 22 militants and destroyed weapons and ammunition, while Afghan authorities said residential areas were struck and nine civilians, including women and children, were killed. The competing casualty claims have not been independently verified. (Reuters)

Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes hit Shultan district in Kunar and Garmser district in Helmand. He said three houses were destroyed, with nine people killed and 11 wounded. Afghan officials described those killed as civilians and condemned the strikes as an attack on Afghan territory. (Amu TV)

Pakistan's Information Ministry gave a different account, saying the strikes were “well-planned and calibrated” and were conducted on the basis of credible intelligence. Islamabad said two locations containing militant camps and hideouts were targeted and that precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties. (Dawn)

Fresh photographs and videos circulating through Afghan media and local social-media accounts show damaged homes and residents examining debris in areas affected by the strikes. Reuters imagery from Kunar and Helmand also shows destroyed structures and residents moving through the aftermath. The precise circumstances surrounding individual locations shown in social-media footage cannot be independently established from the footage alone.

The strikes represent another escalation after several weeks of renewed fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan of allowing Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants to operate from Afghan territory and has cited cross-border attacks as the basis for military action. Kabul rejects the allegation and says Pakistan's security problems should not be addressed through attacks inside Afghanistan. (AFP)

The latest operation also follows the recent fighting in Nuristan, where Taliban authorities and the Afghanistan Freedom Front issued competing claims over casualties and captured fighters. Pakistan has separately rejected allegations that it supported fighters involved in the Nuristan clashes.

Afghan authorities have warned that continued Pakistani strikes could further damage relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistan, meanwhile, says its military operations are directed against militant networks responsible for attacks inside Pakistan rather than against Afghanistan's population.

With both governments offering different accounts of the targets and casualties, the immediate scale of the damage remains disputed. The latest strikes nevertheless mark another direct military escalation between the two neighbours after a period of relative calm. (AP)