Pakistan launches overnight airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan, killing 25–29 militants in Jamaat-ul-Ahrar strongholds
Pakistan says its security forces targeted the militant faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar provinces overnight in response to the killing of three paramilitary troops in Karachi, while Kabul accused Islamabad of causing dozens of civilian casualties.
Overnight airstrikes and ground operation
Pakistan launched precision airstrikes and a ground operation along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border on the night of 28 June, destroying three militant hideouts in the eastern Afghan provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Kunar. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the strikes killed 25 fighters, while AP and Reuters reports, citing officials, put the militant death toll at 29. The operation targeted Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a radical faction often linked to the Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP), whose cross-border attacks have surged in recent years.
Three targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar were destroyed during precision strikes.
Pakistan’s military also conducted ground operations in border regions, and Tarar stated that large quantities of weapons and ammunition were destroyed. The strikes follow a pattern of escalating military action; Pakistan has carried out several rounds of airstrikes on Afghan territory in recent months, with the most recent earlier in June.
- Attack on paramilitary camp in Karachi kills three Pakistani troops; Jamaat-ul-Ahrar blamed.
- Pakistan launches overnight precision airstrikes and ground operation against Jamaat-ul-Ahrar targets in Paktia, Paktika and Kunar.
- Information minister announces 25–29 militants killed; Taliban government says dozens of civilians were killed and calls the strikes a cowardly act.
Trigger: Karachi paramilitary camp attack
The overnight offensive was a direct response to an attack on Saturday 27 June against a paramilitary rangers camp in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, which killed three troops. Pakistan’s armed forces said in a statement that Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was responsible for what it called a cowardly attack on the rangers camp. The killing of the paramilitary soldiers, together with recent violence in Pakistan’s border provinces, prompted Islamabad to act, Tarar said.
The group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar was responsible for this cowardly attack.
Pakistan has long accused the Taliban government in Kabul of sheltering TTP fighters who wage a violent campaign against Pakistani forces. Kabul denies Afghan territory is used to harbour militants.
Afghan Taliban says civilians killed, calls strikes cowardly
The Taliban government in Kabul swiftly condemned the Pakistani airstrikes. A government spokesman posted on X that the operation was a cowardly act of aggression and that dozens of civilians had been killed or wounded. Local broadcaster Tolonews reported more than 30 dead and over 100 injured among civilians. Pakistan did not immediately verify those claims.
In this cowardly act, dozens of civilians were killed or injured.
The Afghan government’s statement deepens the rift between the two neighbours, whose 2,400 km border (the Durand Line) remains largely closed since a flare-up in violence in October froze bilateral trade. A temporary ceasefire had been in place, but since late February Pakistan has spoken of an open war.
A cycle of cross-border violence
The latest airstrikes underscore the deteriorating relationship between Islamabad and Kabul. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring TTP militants, while Afghanistan says Pakistani strikes repeatedly kill civilians. The border region has become a persistent flashpoint, with each military operation feeding the next cycle of accusation and retaliation.
