Four civilians killed in Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan, Taliban says

Afghanistan's Taliban administration stated a wave of Pakistani air strikes had killed four civilians in the latest escalation between the two sides.

Key points

• In Paktia, an official remarked jets had bombed the Afghan Armed Forces' 203 Mansouri Corps.
• Taliban administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated the attacks were in Afghanistan's Kandahar, Paktia and Khost provinces.
• The worst single incident occurred in March, when more than 269 individuals were killed, external in a Pakistani air strike on Kabul.
• After the attack on the police facility, Pakistan stated earlier this week it introduced air strikes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, killing 28 militants.
• Pakistan remarked its forces had struck 10 targets in Afghanistan, without specifying their locations, adding the strikes were "strictly limited to identified military objectives".

Notably, the strikes hit provinces including Kandahar, the Taliban's base of power, sources informed the BBC. A resident informed AFP news agency they heard a jet, followed by a substantial explosion and then a fire in the city.

It's the second wave of Pakistani air strikes on Afghan territory previously week, and comes after a deadly attack on a police facility in Pakistan on 18 September.

While Pakistan noted any further "provocative act" would be responded to, in an official note, the Taliban remarked there would be an "appropriate response" after the attack.

In Paktia, an official remarked jets had bombed the Afghan Armed Forces' 203 Mansouri Corps. It is controlled by the Taliban, without providing any information on casualties.

In Khost, a spokesman remarked houses were damaged in the strikes, with no casualties noted. Abdullah, a local eyewitness, informed Reuters news agency the strikes happened around midnight.

"People were shouting, and there was panic all around, " he remarked. "Afterwards, the village elder arrived and called out to the houses, asking if anyone was killed. Thankfully, no one was killed."

Another local, Salamat Khan, informed Reuters that "there is no military base here, nor are there any military personnel", adding "there are only the homes of ordinary civilians".

Zabihullah Mujahid labelled the attack as "reckless, careless, and hostile", and remarked it "will have adverse consequences for the Pakistani military".

Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar remarked the strikes were "deliberate, precise, calibrated, and proportionate, and strictly limited to identified military objectives directly linked to the attempted attacks against Pakistan".

In practice, the Taliban and Pakistan had enjoyed three months of relative calm, until fighting reignited after an attack on a mosque at a police compound in north-western Pakistan last week. It killed at least 31 residents, according to AFP.

Notably, a group linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). It has waged a violent campaign against Pakistan for years, asserted the attack.

Islamabad has accused Kabul of harbouring the TTP. Afghanistan's Taliban administration denies this, saying militancy is Pakistan's internal challenge.

Farid Dehqan, a spokesman for the Taliban administration in Kunar province, informed the BBC that three individuals were killed and four others were injured in the strike. According to The UN mission Unama additionally, at least three civilians were killed.

Then on Wednesday, Pakistan remarked it detected drones rolled out from Afghanistan into its territory and that all of them were "neutralised". Taliban authorities denied that their administration had introduced drones against Pakistan that day.

Unama remarked in July that cross-border armed violence between Taliban administration forces and Pakistani security forces killed at least 499 civilians and wounded 1, 216 others between October 2025 and June 2026.

Notably, the worst single incident occurred in March, when more than 269 individuals were killed, external in a Pakistani air strike on Kabul. It the Afghan Taliban stated hit a drug rehabilitation centre. Islamabad denied the charge, saying it "precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure".

Meanwhile, the neighbouring countries had agreed a ceasefire in March, but international mediation has failed to produce a lasting resolution.

During a session on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly earlier this week, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on "concrete and verifiable" measures to ensure that Afghan territory is not applied for "terrorism".

In short, four civilians killed in Pakistani strikes in Afghanistan, Taliban says is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.