Pakistan launched air strikes inside Afghanistan early Sunday, saying it hit militant camps near the border after a run of suicide attacks at home.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government condemned the operation, saying civilians were killed and warned it would respond.
Islamabad said the strikes targeted seven sites it called camps and hideouts used by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Islamic State’s Khorasan branch.
Pakistan’s information ministry said it had conclusive evidence that recent attacks in Pakistan were directed by militants based in Afghanistan.
Pakistan pointed to violence in the northwestern districts of Bajaur and Bannu, and a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad that officials said killed 31 worshippers earlier this month.
Hours before the strikes, a suicide bomber hit a security convoy in Bannu and killed two soldiers including a lieutenant colonel, Pakistani authorities said.
Afghanistan’s defence ministry said strikes hit various civilian areas in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces including a religious madrassa and homes.
The Afghan Red Crescent said 18 people were killed and others were wounded. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said dozens were killed or injured, a claim that could not be independently verified.
Kabul’s foreign ministry summoned Pakistan’s ambassador and delivered a note of protest. It warned Pakistan would be responsible for the consequences.
Afghanistan’s defence ministry said that “An appropriate and measured response will be taken at a suitable time.”
Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan’s Information Minister, wrote on X that intelligence-based, selective operations were carried out.
He added that Pakistan has always strived to maintain peace and stability in the region while saying citizen safety remained the priority.
The latest strikes follow months of border tension that has repeatedly disrupted trade along the 2,600 kilometre frontier.
Relations briefly eased this week after Afghanistan released three Pakistani soldiers in a Saudi mediated effort to calm the dispute but Islamabad continues to accuse the Taliban of allowing the TTP to operate from Afghan soil, which Kabul denies.
Abdullah Khan, a security analyst in Islamabad said, “These strikes are likely to further escalate the situation.”
