Pakistan's military has conducted extensive air strikes in eastern Afghanistan, claiming to have eliminated at least 80 militants in response to recent suicide bombings on Pakistani soil. The operation targeted seven sites along the border in provinces such as Nangarhar and Paktika, focusing on groups like the Pakistani Taliban and affiliates of the Islamic State.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has vehemently rejected these claims, asserting that the strikes killed civilians, including women and children, rather than militants. The Afghan Red Crescent Society reported 18 deaths and several injuries, while local accounts describe devastated homes and a mass grave for villagers.

One villager, Nezakat, a 35-year-old farmer from Bihsud district, recounted the destruction of his house, where his father and sons perished under the rubble. Tribal elder Habib Ullah emphasised that the victims were poor, simple folk—not Taliban fighters, military personnel, or former government members.

Afghan police in Nangarhar detailed how the bombardment began around midnight, striking three districts and burying 23 family members under debris in one civilian home alone. Of these, 18 were killed and five wounded, with children confirmed among the casualties.

The Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X that the attacks were inaccurate in targeting militants and instead hit people's homes, labelling them a criminal act. Afghanistan's Defence Ministry decried the violation of its airspace and sovereignty, vowing an "appropriate and calculated response".

In protest, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul. Pakistani Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry offered no evidence for the militant death toll, which state media later inflated to 80 without substantiation.

The strikes follow a suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad two weeks prior, which killed at least 40 and wounded over 160—the deadliest such attack in the capital since 2008. Islamic State-Khorasan claimed responsibility, alongside a recent Kabul restaurant bombing.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban of failing to curb militants operating from Afghan soil, despite repeated requests. Kabul denies harbouring such groups, amid a surge in violence blamed on the Pakistani Taliban—allied but distinct from Afghanistan's rulers—and Baloch separatists.

Tensions have simmered since the Taliban's 2021 takeover, exacerbated by October border clashes that killed over 80 on both sides. UN data records 80 Afghan civilian deaths from Pakistani military actions between October and December.

Diplomatic efforts, including ceasefires brokered by Qatar and Türkiye, and recent Saudi mediation for releasing captured Pakistani soldiers, have faltered. Border crossings vital for trade remain largely closed, hurting civilians on both sides.

Security analyst Abdullah Khan warns that these strikes signal failed foreign interventions and risk further escalation in an already volatile region.

TOLO News