Islamabad [Pakistan], September 24 (ANI): Days after Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan's Kunar and Paktika provinces killed three civilians, Pakistan on early Thursday carried out what it described as precision aerial and drone strikes at 10 locations across Afghanistan, Dawn reported, citing Federal Information Minister Atauallah Tarar.
According to Dawn, Tarar, in a post on X, said that the latest strikes were conducted in response to drones launched from Afghanistan a day earlier. He said the targets were locations allegedly used for launching and storing the drones.
“In exercise of its sovereign right to self-defence, Pakistan conducted precision aerial and drone strikes against 10 locations in Afghanistan used for launching and storing these drones,” Tarar's post read.
The minister further added the strikes were focused on military objectives that Pakistan linked directly to the attempted drone attacks.
He added that the strikes were “deliberate, precise, calibrated and proportionate and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan," as reported by Dawn.
The latest Pakistani strikes come amid continuing cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan and follow an escalation earlier this week.
Afghanistan on Monday vowed an "appropriate response" to Pakistani airstrikes in Kunar and Paktika provinces.
Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid accused the Pakistani military of targeting civilian areas and described the strikes as a repetition of what he called "crimes" against Afghanistan.
In a post on X, Mujahid said three civilians were killed and four others wounded in Kunar, while a house and a local shop were damaged in an attack in Paktika. He said there were no casualties reported in the Paktika incident.
"Crime and Aggression: Last night, the invading Pakistani army bombarded civilian areas of Afghanistan in Kunar and Paktika provinces. In Kunar, one woman and two men were martyred, and two women and two men were wounded; all of them are local civilian residents. In Paktika, one house and one local shop were bombed, with no casualties reported," the post read.
"We condemn this aggression and oppression and consider it a repetition of crimes. Pakistan's military establishment, in order to divert attention from its own internal security failures, has once again committed such a crime. Afghans will give an appropriate response to this aggression, God willing," he added.
The statement came after TOLOnews, citing local sources, reported that Pakistani fighter jets had carried out airstrikes in several parts of Afghanistan early Monday morning.
According to the report, the Rakha and Torkandi areas of Barmal district in Paktika province were targeted in two separate strikes. A separate strike in Kunar reportedly killed three people and injured several others, TOLOnews reported.
The latest escalation comes against the backdrop of a documented civilian toll from cross-border violence.
In its update covering April to June 2026, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said its Human Rights Service documented 399 civilian casualties from cross-border armed violence during the period, including 57 people killed and 342 injured. The casualties included 40 women and 112 children, according to the UN mission.
UNAMA said airstrikes and ground engagements were the leading causes of civilian harm during the period.
The UN mission said all cross-border civilian casualties it documented in Afghanistan between April and June were attributed to Pakistani security forces. Paktya, Paktika and Kunar were among the provinces that recorded the largest number of civilian casualties from airstrikes, according to UNAMA.
UNAMA had earlier said that at least 28 civilians were killed and 49 injured in airstrikes carried out in Paktya, Paktika and Kunar on June 28. Women and children were among those killed and injured, while Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting confirmed that Pakistani security forces had conducted strikes in the three provinces.
The latest strikes and the competing claims from Islamabad and Kabul come as cross-border hostilities continue to strain relations between the two neighbours. (ANI)
Pakistan carries out fresh drone strikes in Afghanistan, 10 locations on target
