Afghanistan threatens retaliation over Pakistani airstrikes

The Defense Ministry in Kabul says “various civilian areas” were targeted in an attack that left at least 18 dead

Afghanistan has threatened retaliation after Pakistani airstrikes on its territory reportedly killed at least 18 people and left several others injured.

The attack was carried out overnight on Saturday in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika. According to Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry, “various civilian areas” were hit, including a religious school and residential homes. At least 18 people, including women and children, were reportedly killed, and several others injured.

The ministry said the attack constitutes “a breach of international law and the principles of good neighborliness.”

“We hold the Pakistani military responsible for targeting civilians and religious sites,” it said in a statement. “We will respond to these attacks in due course with a measured and appropriate response.”

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Pakistan defended the action as a “retributive response” to a recent suicide bombing, including one at a Shiite place of worship earlier this month that killed at least 31 people and injured nearly 170. Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pakistani Information Ministry said on X that the military “carried out intelligence-based, selective targeting of seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to the Pakistani Taliban of FAK and its affiliates and ISKP at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with precision and accuracy,” accusing Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities of failing to “undertake any substantive action” against militant groups. Authorities claimed that at least 70 militants were killed in the strike, which the Taliban said was false.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari said the operation was “rooted in Pakistan’s inherent right to defend its people against terrorism,” adding that repeated warnings to Kabul had gone unheeded. He warned that those responsible for attacks in Pakistan “will not remain beyond reach,” stressing that protecting citizens is “paramount and non-negotiable.”

Tensions between the two neighboring countries escalated last October, with both sides accusing each other of initiating violence. A Qatari-mediated ceasefire was reached after several days of deadly border clashes that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians. While the truce has largely held, follow-up talks in Istanbul in November did not produce a formal agreement, leaving relations strained.