ISLAMABAD / Kabul, — September 24, 2026 — Pakistan carried out air and drone strikes on 10 locations inside Afghanistan early Thursday, saying the targets were being used to launch or store drones involved in attacks against Pakistan. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the operation followed the detection and neutralisation of drones that Pakistan said had entered its airspace from Afghan territory a day earlier. (Reuters)
Tarar said Pakistan had detected, tracked and neutralised eight drones on Wednesday, with Pakistani officials reporting incidents near Torkham and Kohat. He described Thursday's strikes as deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate, saying they were restricted to identified military objectives connected to the alleged drone attacks. (Reuters)
Afghan authorities disputed Pakistan's account of the drone attacks. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani strikes hit areas in Kandahar, Paktia and Khost and reported four civilian deaths. He rejected the allegation that the Afghan Taliban government had launched drones against Pakistan and warned that Kabul would respond. (Pajhwok)
Reports from Khost provided a different picture of the immediate casualties. Mustaghfir Gurbaz, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Khost, said areas in Gurbuz, Ismail Khel and Mandozai districts and locations near the provincial capital were struck around 3:30 a.m., but reported no casualties there. Amu TV separately reported that local sources said parts of Kandahar city and the 203rd Mansoori Corps compound in Paktia were also targeted. (Amu TV)
The reported death toll therefore remains based on conflicting accounts. Reuters reported that Kabul said four civilians were killed, while information about individual locations, including Khost, has differed between Afghan officials and local sources. The four-death figure had not been independently established at the time of reporting. (Reuters)
The strikes mark another escalation in fighting between the two neighbours. Earlier this week, Pakistan also conducted strikes inside Afghanistan, while Afghan officials said three civilians were killed in Kunar. Islamabad has accused militant groups operating from Afghan territory of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan, while the Taliban government has repeatedly denied allowing such attacks. (Al Jazeera)
The latest confrontation also threatens diplomatic efforts involving China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed at reducing tensions between Islamabad and Kabul. The two sides continue to give sharply different accounts of the events that triggered the latest escalation. (Associated Press) (local10.com)
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