Afghan strikes inside Pakistan put ceasefire under new strain
Kabul said it hit armed-group hideouts in two Pakistani provinces, while Islamabad reportedly rejected the account.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Afghanistan said it carried out strikes inside Pakistan against sites it linked to armed groups, adding new pressure to a fragile ceasefire between the two neighbours. The Afghan defence ministry said the targets were in border provinces that have been central to months of cross-border violence.
The ministry said on Friday that Afghan forces struck locations in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces on Thursday night. It described the sites as hideouts and bases used by armed groups and “hostile intelligence circles” to plan attacks against Afghanistan.
The Afghan statement did not identify those intelligence circles by name. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that the wording appeared to refer to Pakistani intelligence.
Kabul did not say what weapons or aircraft were used in the operation. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that Afghanistan does not have fighter jets, but data from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies lists at least six aircraft and 23 helicopters in its inventory.
Al Jazeera and Reuters also reported that Taliban forces are known to have drones, including systems used in fighting with Pakistan. Afghanistan’s defence ministry called the operation an action by the “air force,” but gave no further operational details.
Pakistan denies Kabul’s account
Reuters, citing an unverified report, said Pakistan’s Information Ministry rejected Afghanistan’s account in a statement. No additional Pakistani details were included in that report.
The strikes mark the first major offensive action claimed by Kabul in months, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. They follow repeated Pakistani air raids that Islamabad has said were aimed at fighters operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban government of sheltering armed groups that attack across the border, especially the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Afghanistan has denied those allegations and says Pakistan’s security problem is an internal matter.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that fighting rose sharply in late February after Afghanistan launched a cross-border attack in response to Pakistani air raids.
A ceasefire reached in March later broke down after each side accused the other of violations, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. China-led mediation has not produced a lasting settlement.
Recent fighting has killed civilians
The United Nations reported in May that cross-border fighting killed at least 372 Afghan civilians and wounded 397 others during the first three months of 2026. Al Jazeera and Reuters reported that hundreds of people have died in repeated outbreaks of hostilities in recent months.
Pakistan carried out air strikes on Afghan provinces last week, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. The Afghan Taliban said those raids killed at least 13 people, including 11 children, and wounded 14 others.
Islamabad said those strikes were “calibrated” and killed 26 fighters, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters. Pakistan said the operation responded to a recent wave of attacks in the country’s northwest.
Afghanistan’s defence ministry said Friday that the country would use all available means to stop threats to its security and stability at their source. The statement signals that the border conflict remains volatile despite diplomatic efforts to contain it.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.